Who was looking good yesterday?

Pretty pretty Brady, that's who!

Plus it snowed. Watching on Jefe's 80-inch high-def screen, it was like being at Foxboro, only without freezing to death.

Jayne

Just Good Enough to Lose?

To me there are four major stages that a professional team goes through.

1. Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here. You have no expectations at all for this team, except that they will stink. They are bad. You know they are bad. They are not going to be good for a while, and have accepted it. Hopefully not a long while (more than 3-4 years), but that can and does happen – just look at Oakland, or Buffalo, or Cleveland (or don’t, which might be better advice given how awful they are). This type of team is usually very young or extremely poorly coached. And/Or the owner is an idiot who keeps interfering with the team and never gives it a chance to get better (see Snyder, Daniel, Washington Redskins). But the beauty of this type of team (or an ugliness that can be kind of endearing – a loveable loserness that the Chicago Cubs teams carried off so well for so long, but which they’ve now lost due to high expectations) is that because you have no expectations you can enjoy just watching football. Or you can take it or leave it as you chose and find something else to devote your time to on Sundays. The pressure is off! If they win you feel good all week. If they lose, well they’re supposed to lose! If you have to watch the games you can watch with an eye towards the future. Who is not going to be there the next year? What position do they need the most help with? Are they going to have a top pick in the draft (highly likely)? Who might be available? In other words, you can play general manager. That can be interesting to do, if it doesn’t last too long (again, see Oakland, Washington, or the Cleveland Browns). Of course if it does last for years and years (and believe me, I’ve been there, with the Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins and Patriots over the past 30 years of fandom, each of whom has had an extended period as a totally hopeless team as well as extended periods where they were stuck in the doldrums) it can seem like it will never end. But eventually it will. Just hope you have enough patience to be there and still care when they get better. I finally gave up on the Bruins after nearly two decades of mediocre- to- bad teams (thanks Jeremy Jacobs! You’re penny pinching ways killed this team – it’s dead to me now) even though they are now pretty good again.

2. Amidst the Darkness, Some Light. This is usually a young team that had been bad for a while that is looking like they’re starting to put the pieces together. They may not be good enough to make the playoffs (but sometimes can squeak in) but they are often fun to watch, and you can see that if they put a few more pieces into place they might be a very good team (barring a catastrophic injury). Something big has happened. A new coach. A great draft. Both. Don’t be confused into thinking the Dolphins fit this category, despite their sudden emergence last year in winning 11 games. They had a fluky year, fueled by a gimmick play that somehow worked all year long, and because the rest of the teams in their division had major problems (Buffalo was Buffalo, The Jets had Mangini and Favre killing them, and the Patriots lost Brady eight plays into the season). The Dolphins have not yet proven they belong in this category, judging by their 1-3 record. They could easily end up 5-11. San Francisco, however, does belong here. They have a good coach in Mike Singletary. They’ve done some good drafting. They just need a better quarterback and a playmaker on defense and they could be good. There’s definitely some hope there. The same goes for Atlanta (karma for getting rid of Michael Vick?). They may be contenders in a year or so if they keep healthy and don’t lose too many guys to free agency. Matt Ryan (love the name, hate his alma mater) was the best pick in the draft two years ago.

3. Stuck in the Doldrums. These are teams that were either contenders and are suffering a drop off due to age, injury or free agency loses, or they are teams that were up-and-comers that just never made the leap to full-fledged contenders. They may just get into the playoffs, or just miss them, but they are destined to be just good enough to lose (early in the playoffs if they get there, or to most of the good teams if they just miss the playoffs). Indianapolis was in this category for a couple of years, but thanks to Peyton Manning they are contenders again. Manning was hurt, and took a year to get better. Now he is playing like the former MVP and Super Bowl winner that he is. I may not like him, but I respect him. Three teams that are in this category are Chicago, San Diego and my own New England Patriots. Chicago fans always said the only thing they needed was a better quarterback. They cheered when they traded Kyle Orton for Jay Cutler. Only I don’t believe Cutler is the kind of guy who wins championships. He makes too many mistakes, and is a petulant whining jerk to boot. He’s a tease, just like Jake Plummer was. San Diego is getting old. Phillip Rivers looks like he’ll be a good quarterback, but their best players on defense (Shawn Merriman, getting old quickly now that he’s off the juice) and running back (LaDanian Tomlinson) are no longer elite players and they have no replacements in the pipeline for them. They’ll hang on for a bit, maybe even winning their division, but they have no chance at all to contend for a title. Sadly, the Patriots fit this category too. Brady is coming back off a serious injury that cost him the entire year. History says it will take a full year before he recovers (see Manning, Peyton or Palmer, Carson) if he ever does. They are rebuilding their entire defense, having lost several key players over the past couple of seasons. They have not drafted particularly well , especially on offense (Lawrence “Roman” Maroney is a total bust at running back, as was Chad Jackson at wide receiver). They have lost some good coaching talent (Josh McDaniels). They are getting older in some spots (Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Matt Light), while being very young in others (nearly the entire defensive secondary and linebackers). And the teams in their division (the Jets and Dolphins anyway) are getting better too. Everything points to this year (at least) being a year where they just barely make the playoffs and then get bounced early. They are struggling offensively. Their defense is in transition. The one glimmer of hope for the future is that they have lots of draft picks and the youth of the defensive secondary. It may take a year before we know if the new guys on defense (Guyton, Chung, Butler, Brace, Pryor, Crable, McGowan) will be good. If so, then the defense could be in good shape for the future. But if not, they could continue to be just good enough to lose. They need to find a viable running back, and a wide receiver to replace (or compliment) Moss at some point. And draft a new left tackle to replace Matt Light. And Brady must again become the MVP and (multi) Super Bowl winning quarterback he was before his injury. If he never recovers fully the offense will continue to struggle, and they’ll be an also-ran; a team that goes 7-9 or 9-7 year in and year out until something dramatic changes. This is what happened with the Patriots in the late 90’s (the Pete Carroll years) and what happened to the Red Sox in the late 80’s through mid 90’s, the Celtics in the early to late 90’s (until they became totally hopeless in the late 90’s to mid 00’s) and what happened with the Boston Bruins from the mid 80’s until……..well, now. To me this is the worst of all possible stages for your favorite team to be in. You remember vividly the glory years (after all, it was just yesterday) or you bemoan that one thing your team never found to put it over the top to become a contender or champion. Every loss seems unbearable, especially when you lose to a team you feel certain you are as good as or better. And even some of your wins feel like losses because the team had to fight entirely too hard to beat a bad team. The signs are everywhere that it is not going to be your year, and that you’ll be lucky to even make the playoffs, when making the playoffs used to be a given. You fear that instead of getting better, your team is only going to get worse, to the point where it could become hopeless for a few years, which would make games even less fun until you are willing to accept that they are hopeless.

4. As Good as it Gets. When your team is a serious contender. Even if you don’t win it all you enjoy the process, and the prospect of maybe winning a title with a little luck. Maybe you need one more good player. Or one player needs to go from good to great. Or you get a new coach. Or the stars just align themselves and everyone plays as good as they can. Nothing is better than either winning or knowing you are so close that it is bound to happen eventually (see the Pittsburg Steelers, who were stuck in the doldrums for years until they lucked out with Ben Rothlesberger). You devour the sports page and watch ESPN constantly waiting for the highlights of your team’s latest victory. You debate with friends and family over whether this really is the year. You enjoy it when people profess to hate your team, because you know it’s just jealousy. Every game is fun to watch, and if they lose you can shrug it off as just one bad day and start looking forward to the next game. You feel like you are part of something. You use the word “WE” when talking about the team, as if you are a member and not just a fan. If you are lucky this feeling can last for years (The Boston Celtics in the 60’s, The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Reds in the 70’s, The Edmonton Oilers, San Francisco 49’rs, Boston Celtics and LA Lakers in the 80’s, the Dallas Cowboys in the 90’s and the New England Patriots in the early to mid 00’s are a few examples) . But there is a flip side to it, and it is this: It can’t last forever, and when it ends you realize that you never appreciated it as much as you should. You were addicted to that feeling of having a great team (or teams) and the comedown can be particularly nasty. Teams you used to dominate start beating you, and their fans feel justified in taunting you over it (revenge can be sweet).

I have to admit, I have been spoiled the past 8 years. Three Super Bowls won by the Patriots (and one lost SB that should have been a win). Two World Series wins by the Red Sox. One NBA Championship by the Celtics. Boston was the best sports city in the world. It seemed like it would never end. But of course it had to. The Red Sox are getting older, as are the Celtics. Their runs may be over. The Patriots have been so good for so long that it is inevitable that there would be a period when they had difficulties. Last year was a lost year for the Pats without Brady. They had a lot of guys who were at their peak, or just beyond their peak. A healthy Brady might have meant another Super Bowl. But not only do they lose last year, this year also could be a lost year as he gets better. They could have a quick turnaround, but they would need to develop some of their draft picks into solid players and continue to make good picks. If not they could be stuck in the doldrums for a few more years, until Brady gets too old and has to be replaced. When that happens they may find themselves a bad team until they can find another quarterback. And there’s no telling how bad they’ll be or for how long. But for now they seem to be just good enough to lose.

This Could Be A Long Year

Most of the comments I’m seeing are saying that the patriots have problems on defense. I’ll admit , they have a few there (like the inability to get anywhere near the opposing team’s quarterback), but for me the real problem is Tom Brady and the offensive coordinator.

Brady just does not look comfortable out there. He’s shying away from contact, throwing off his back foot, and rushing his throws, which is resulting in a lot of really bad looking passes. Before his injury he was completing nearly 70 percent of his passes, and a lot of the passes that were incomplete were fairly risky ones that were either very close, or in a place where only his guy could make a play on it or it would be on the ground or out of bounds. Now he looks like he’s opting for the safest passes, and is still missing by a lot on many of them because he’s rushing them. Which is funny in a way, because before the play starts he is taking so much time off the clock that they had back-to-back delay of game penalties at one point, and routinely just get the ball snapped with one second left on the clock. There just seems to be no rhythm at all in to the offense. Which brings us to the offensive coordinator.

It seems pretty obvious by now that the guy calling the plays (the quarterback coach, who’s only experience calling plays was for Duke. DUKE!; a team that has lost more games than any other team in college football the past 10 years) has no idea what he is doing. Where are all the screens and misdirection plays that used to be called to slow down the blitz? Where are the quick passes to the wide receivers right at the line of scrimmage to allow them to make yards after the catch? Where are the draw plays? The play action passes. The offense has become too predictable. Losing Jerod Mayo was bad. So was losing Richard Seymour. And Mike Vrabel. But the loss of Josh McDaniels to the Broncos may be the biggest loss the team has suffered. When he called the plays defenses were kept off balance. There was a sense that he would call any play in the playbook at any time. THEY were the confused ones. Now it looks like the patriots’ offense is confused.

I was shocked to see Brady sitting alone on the bench when the defense was on the field, often not even looking at the game. He had his head down a lot, and looked dejected and confused. I’m used to seeing him sitting with the receivers, or standing on the sidelines next to the coaches.

I have a feeling that it could be a very long year. I’ve read stories about other quarterbacks who had the same injury as Tom, and they all say it takes a full year of playing to get back to where they were before. I assumed that because Brady was a better quarterback than the others (Carson Palmer, Dante Culpepper, Randall Cunningham) and didn’t rely on his legs as much (as his head) that he would be back to his old self a lot sooner. It appears I was wrong. My hope now is that the Pats can keep in the playoff hunt for the first half of the year while Brady gets his act together and the offensive coordinator gets a clue, and then they could make a run in the second half of the year. I was predicting 13 wins or better this year. Now I’m hoping for 10, and that 10 will be enough to get into the playoffs. They should be 0-2 now. I think next week they lose to the Falcons. Then they play Baltimore, which suddenly can score points as well as play terrific defense. They could be 1-3 easily after that game. Then they go to Denver. Another potential loss. They should still beat Tennessee and Tampa Bay before the Bye Week, but by then they could be 3-4, when I expected at least 5-2 and quite possibly 6-1. The second half of the year (always assuming that the offense gets it in gear) should be easier. Except for the games against Indianapolis and New Orleans, the rest of the games look winnable. They could go 7-2. That would put them at 10-6 and could get them in the playoffs. Whether they do anything in the playoffs will depend almost entirely on Tom Brady. Right now they don’t even look like a playoff team. And Tom Brady doesn’t look like Tom Brady.

How Tom Brady Almost Got Me Killed

Here’s how. Monday Night Football. Patriots against the Bills. Things started poorly. There was not enough oil to make the buffalo wings and French fries, so I had to go back to the store for a second time (and we won’t be discussing the car fiasco from the first trip to the store at this time, or any other if I have my say). The fries ended up overdone too, although the wings came out just right, although just seconds before kickoff. From the beginning of the game it was obvious that things weren’t going well. Tom Brady looked like a guy who hadn’t played any real football (let’s not kid ourselves, the exhibition games were meaningless) for a year, and who was dealing with the physical and mental ramifications of a serious knee injury. He was indecisive. He was inaccurate. He looked uncomfortable. In other words, he looked like an average quarterback, instead of one of the ten best who’ve ever played. And the defense wasn’t helping any. They couldn’t get off the field, letting the Bills move the ball pretty easily on them. Had Jerod Mayo not been injured early in the game things may have been different. Things weren’t going too great while he was in there though, which does not bode well for the rest of the season. He never returned last night. Hopefully it is a minor injury, or things could be really bad. They’re going to have to score a lot of points anyway I think.

At halftime Jayne decided to go to bed. And in the second half things got even worse. Buffalo was making all the right plays, and the Pats couldn’t get any offense going. They had to settle for field goals, when they should have scored touchdowns. Tom continued to play, to be honest, mediocre football. He never threw the ball more than 10-12 yards. No bombs to Galloway or Randy Moss. No deep crossing patterns to Wes Welker. Just dinks and dunks (very much like how he played as a rookie in 2001, only back then they had one of the best defenses in the league and you KNEW they would get more chances). But they couldn’t get into the end zone. Tom just didn’t look like he had it. And when the Bills scored to make it 24-13 late in the 4th it seemed pretty hopeless. It was during that touchdown drive that point where I started yelling at the tv in frustration.

There were 5 and a half minutes left in the game. I still had a little hope, but I knew they had to score quickly, so that they could have a chance to get the ball back. They had 3 timeouts and the two minute warning to stop the clock. If they could score quickly the defense would have a chance to stop the Bills and get Tom the ball back with a minute or so. It was doable (although I had very little confidence that the defense would come through, and only slightly more than a little confidence that Tom would based on how he had been playing up until that point). So when Tom started the next possession by continuing to dink and dunk (3 yards here, 6 yards there, 2 yards more and a first down…..aaaarrrrggghhh!) I really started to lose it. “Moooooooove!!!! I screamed. We don’t have frelling time to do this!!!!” Time was slowly bleeding away. It was under 4 minutes…….then under 3 minutes, and yet Tom kept lollygagging around, as if he had all the time in the world. A pass to Moss for 8……….. another pass to Welker for 6……... Dink…………. Donk……….. Dunk.

“Yougottafuckingscorefasterthanthis!!!!!!!!!!” Finally, Tom throws a touchdown pass to Ben Watson to make it 24-19. But only 2:06 remains on the clock. All the bills would have to do is get one first down on their next possession and the clock would run out. Based on how things had gone up until then it seemed a foregone conclusion that the Bills would get that first down. But then fate took a hand. On the ensuing kickoff the ball was caught in the end zone…….and the runner ran out!!! All he had to do was stand there for a couple seconds and then kneel down for a touchback. The clock would have gone down to the two minute warning, taking away one of the Pats chances to stop the clock. And even had it not run down under two minutes their offense was almost sure to be able to get one first down and run out the clock. And even if they didn’t run out the clock, they could have run it down to about a minute even with the Pats taking all three time outs. A punt then would have left the Pats 70 yards or so to go to win the game. But he decided to come out of the end zone. And was hit hard at the 25. And then continued to struggle to stay on his feet instead of going to the ground! And then had the ball pulled out of his hands!! And recovered on the 30 yard line by the Pats!!! 4 plays later Tom threw another touchdown to Watson, making it 25-24 Patriots. Pandemonium. With 50 seconds left the Bills got the ball back, but couldn’t get close enough to try a field goal and the Pats had an improbable victory. After watching the press conferences I finally went to bed, completely spent emotionally. Jayne was awake, and I apologized for all the ruckus. “It’s a good thing you stopped when you did” she said “because I was just about to come down and kill you. You woke me up about 5 times”.

So, there you have it. How Tom Brady Nearly Got Me Killed. My wife would have been profiled on one of those shows on the We (women’s entertainment) network. Snapped, or something like that. And most women would have agreed she was within her rights to have killed me and buried me under the deck. But as I reminded her, she knew when she got into this marriage that I was a lunatic, especially when sports was involved.

Several players said that Tom predicted they’d win. That during the drive starting with 5:32 left in the game he told them in the huddle “ok, we’re going to go down and score before the 2 minute warning. Then we’re gonna get the ball back somehow, and win the game”. I wish he had let me in on this. It might have saved me some grief (and potentially my life, heh heh)

But still, if you’re reading this Tom, can you do me a favor and make the next few games a little less stressful? Thanks.

Is it Beer O'Clock Yet?

If it is, you're probably paying too much for it!

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/CompanyFocus/why-every-cold-beer-costs-you-more.aspx

I am glad to see that Guinness was not mentioned in that article. Guinness good. Anheuser-Busch bad (except for some of their advertisements. I still fondly remember my Bud Man tee-shirt). This is not to say that only dark beers (or ales) are the only good beers. In the right setting I enjoy lighter (not LIGHT, mind you, just lighter) beers. With Asian food I can enjoy a Saporo, or a Zing Tao. With Mexican food a Modelo Especial is a fine accompaniment. I’ve had Red Stripe from Jamaica and enjoyed it, as well as German style lagers on occasion. There are fine beers being made of all kinds all over the world. But yet most of what Americans drink is, in my opinion, undrinkable. Of course I freely admit to being a terrible beer snob (there will never be another ’87 Anchor Steam). I love good beer. Mostly dark beer. Particularly Ales. Brown Ales. Porters. Stouts. I will drink a pale ale now and then, and amber ale. But American Style Lagers are right out. Bud, Bush, Miller, Coors and the like are what a guy pees out after drinking real beer. Real beer should have flavor and complexity. It should not under any circumstances have the word Light in it, unless you’re talking about beer made by Lighthouse Brewery. Small batches of beer are better batches of beer. These truths we hold to be self evident. Sam Adams used to be a smallish brewery, but now they are a macro-brewer (a brewer who makes giant batches of beer). You can’t control the taste of beer as well when you make large batches (batches? We don’t need no stinking batches!! Heh heh.). Of course there are those who say that Guinness is a macro-brewer too. This is true, but it is a special exception. Guinness has been making the same beer, with the same recipe, for 250 years! I think they’ve got the recipe down by now. And they still make a LOT less of it than Anheuser-Bush makes of Bud. And, Guinness is Good for You! It says so right on their advertisements! I freely admit that I started my beer drinking with cheap, pale, flavorless stuff like Bud. But thanks to peer pressure from my friends I learned to first love slightly darker and richer beers like Bass Ale, and soon graduated to Samuel Smith’s Pale Ale, and mild brown ales like Newcastle (still an all-time favorite). Eventually I had the courage (not John Courage, although that too is a good beer!) to try Guinness. It was my destiny it seems, as I am nearly 100% Irish and have dreamt of going to Ireland almost all my life (a dream that, as you recall from my haiku post was finally fulfilled). It took a little getting used to, but my conversion to a Guinness fanatic was soon complete, and culminated in my first pint in Ireland (at Dirty Nelly’s) and the trip to St. James Gate Brewery (aka Mecca). If only more people would learn to truly enjoy a good pint, instead of swilling down the pale and lifeless brew that passes for beer in this country. The world would be a better place. Guinness teaches you patience, as you wait for it to settle. It’s rich and dark colour is soothing. The head gives you a beer mustache, which can be good for a laugh. It is lower in Alcohol, which is good for your liver. And, of course, it gives you strength, being what I like to call liquid bread. They may call whiskey “the water of life” in Ireland, but Guinness Refreshes Your Spirit!

Oh Soap Opera Stars, Will You Ever Win?

The Fug Girls bring the funny re: the Daytime Emmys.

http://www.lemondrop.com/2009/09/04/the-fug-girls-look-at-soap-star-fashion/

Jorge Gargia commented on our blog!

Only because I begged him to, but still! Here he is!

Go, Ben and Jerry's!

http://www.benjerry.com/hubbyhubby/

Stop the Insanity!

So, it appears my wife is harassing celebrities now. Oh, the shame! Oh, the Humanity! Oh sure, it’s just a single post this time, asking for comment to be placed on our blog. But what next? Will she be inviting Tom Brady and Giselle Bundchen for dinner, or telling Molly Ringwald that I had this huge crush on her when I was a teenager and suggest to her that it might be fun to show up to our Oktoberfest party? Oh sure, Charlie the beagle would love to have the company. Tom could throw his toys in the backyard for him to fetch, and as we all know Charlie LOVES the ladies. And Jayne would be able to talk fashion with Giselle (I bet she secretly adores What Not To Wear just like Jayne does). And for all we know Molly brews her own beer , and is a beer snob like me. But really, to what end this making of famous friends? I’d then have to track down Neal Patrick Harris so he could come over and sing her some of the songs from Dr. Horrible’s Sing-along Blog to even things out. Or invite Liam Neeson to tea and cakes. Mmmm, cakes. Sorry, about that, lost my mind for a minute. From there it would just get worse. I’d come home one day to find Alton Brown shackled in the kitchen until he made us the perfect batch of brownies. And next thing you know Stephen King would be coming by to help us with our Christmas Letters. Zachary Levi would be calling us every week asking if we wanted to go bowling, and Alyssa Milano would be calling to talk about baseball. Does Charlie fire Cathy the dog walker and replace her with Cate Blanchett? Does Green Day just move into our basement? Where will it all end! Where in heaven’s name will it end?

Our puppy is very responsible

Today some medications--more specifically, birth control pills--were delivered to our house through the mail slot in the front door. Our puppy, being the responsible little fellow he is, opened the package and took a dose. Despite the fact that he is male. And fixed. And not human. Still, you have to admire his sense of responsibility. And we haven't even had the sex talk with him yet!

We Love Liberty Tavern

Yesterday was a rough day at work for both me and Mal, and with the sudden realization that it was Restaurant Week here in the DC area, we decided to treat ourselves. Normally we like to use Resaturant Week to try someplace new, but as reservations were few on short notice, we ended up at our old standby, The Liberty Tavern in Arlington.

Oh, Liberty Tavern! I almost hate to sing your praises, lest it become even harder to find a reservation or a parking space nearby. Since our first visit when you were newly opened, we've had nothing but wonderful food and wonderful service. Last night was no exception. Once again, the Tavern proves that pleasing their customers is their first priority by making their entire menu available for Restaurant Week--none of this stingy only-offering-three-choices-per-course business. Mal started with a spectacular duck confit la orange with Chevre and olives, and I with the grilled octopus and clams.

Yes, that's right, squirmy, grilled octopus, and if you're remotely interested in ever trying octopus, try it here. Octopus, like calamari, can be tough and rubbery when not treated just right, but at Liberty it is tender and meaty and sweet and really really really good. This was our second time having the octopus: the first time was a recent visit where our entrees were taking a little while to make it out to us. We hadn't actually noticed a great delay or complained, but a manager came and apologized for our wait and brought us a free appetizer (the octopus) to tide us over. This is the kind of service we run into time and time again here.

For our main dishes, Mal had the tenderloin, with an amazing roasted Concord grape sauce. Sounds sweet, but it was beautifully balanced, and Mal literally swiped the plate clean with bread at the end. I had egg noodles with rabbit confit, fresh peas, carrots, onions and mushrooms with a grain mustard sauce, and it was just wonderful. Again, if you've ever had the inkling to try rabbit but were too squeamish, here's a great dish to try... Mal won the dessert competition with his three sorbets: cantaloupe, strawberry, and pineapple-basil (sounds strange, but is incredible). I got the molten chocolate cake with homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream, but the cake was a littel dry and not really molten. A small disappointment, but very much the exception at this restaurant.

When we finally rolled out after a long leisurely evening, we were both back in good spirits again. Thanks again, The Liberty Tavern! We may be back next week to try the lamb shoulder confit.

The Story of My Life

Jayne

NOT Julie and Julia, but Inspired By

So Mal and I recently went to see the movie "Julie and Julia," which we both really enjoyed. My take: the Julie part was okay, although I honestly didn't find myself personally interested in the Julie character. Julia Child, on the other hand, is my personal hero: imagine, she never even started cooking until age 37! AND it turns out she was lying all these years about being a secretary in the OSS and was in fact an actual spy... Meryl Streep did an astounding job of bringing her to life, and Stanley Tucci was wonderful, as always, as her husband Paul. Theirs was truly a wonderful love story.

Anyhoo, like everyone else who saw the flick, we came out of the theater hungry and rarin' to cook. Now I have a generous collection of cookbooks, certainly more than 100, possibly close to 200; I'm honestly not sure. Inspired by the premise of the movie we just saw, Mal and I have decided that each week, one of us will select a cookbook, and the other one of us will make something from that cookbook. The recipe can be for anything--main course, appetizer, dessert--but it has to come from the selected book. Mal got first pick, and he chose The Good Home Cookbook, which we just received as a housewarming gift from our wonderful sister-in-law. This is a fun book, with very old-school, no-nonsense recipes like those from your old Better Homes and Gardens book: American Food. The special conceit, though, is that the author recruited over 1,000 home cooks from all over the country to test different versions of all these familiar recipes in order to find the best ones, which were then gathered into this volume. So no fancy-schmancy stuff, but a lot of fun nostalgia. (When's the last time you've even heard mention of a Taco Salad, much less seen a recipe for one?)

And what am I going to make? I'm not 100% decided yet. BUT there is a recipe for creating your own sourdough starter and thus your own sourdough bread that sounds very appealing. We shall see.

Jayne

You're so sweet

Just like a Grape Pop-Tart!

Dear Jayne

So, this is MAL, and this is MAL’s Haiku Corner. This will be a regular feature of IKBINT. I love to Haiku. It can be about anything, and often will be about the smallest things. But today’s Haikus are for Jayne, who brings me serenity every time I look at her.

First time I met you
I knew that you were special
But not what would come

Soon, we were good friends
Spent hours on the telephone
Long distance dating

First Date – Mount Vernon
Second Date – “Incredibles!”
Third Date…… Ireland?!?!?!

By that time I knew
That you were the one for me
The love of my life

Moving here was hard
Not just the drive down
But leaving all that I knew

It’s all been worth it
Our life a great adventure
‘Til death do us part

Apropos of Nothing

Just to prove it won't be all hearts and flowers and cupids around here...

Dear Mal

There is nothing quite so boring as listening to someone rhapsodize about their beloved and how happy they are together. This is why no one on soap operas, including Soulmates Who are Destined to Be Together (of whom there are a surprisingly large number), never actually live happily ever after. We all yearn for that happy ending, but we don't want to hear about someone else's. Why is happiness such a dull read?

Too bad. Tomorrow is our 2 year 4 month anniversary, and I wish to rhapsodize. Almost 5 years ago, I met my Mal, and my life changed in ways I never dreamed were possible. Two and a quarter years ago, I married the best friend I've ever had in life. And every day I wake up next to him is a gift whose value cannot be described.

We have our differences. We get on each others' nerves. And in our short time together, we've had to face some very painful times. But we have faced them together. And I can't imagine--don't want to imagine--any life without my Mal.

Love,
Jayne

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