Search This Blog

Monday, June 25, 2007

An On the Road Song for D.

Heard this song today and thought of a special man, who is on the road this week with a band... Turn the Page by Bob Seger



On a long and lonesome highway, east of Omaha.
You can listen to the engine moaning out its one lone song
You can think about woman, or the girl you knew the night before,
But your thoughts will soon be wandering, the way they always do.
When your riding sixteen hours and theres nothing much to do
And you don't feel much like riding, you just wish the trip was through.
Say, here I am, on the road again. there I am, up on the stage.
Here I go, playing star again.
There I go, turn the page.

Travel Safe, Love.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Song for tonight: Like a Hurricane

This song was a gift, meant to be savored with a good Aussie Shiraz, for which I want thank a certain Stone Pony . . . even if my eyes aren't brown.

Neil Young--Like a Hurricane



Once I thought I saw you
in a crowded hazy bar,
Dancing on the light
from star to star.
Far across the moonbeam
I know that's who you are,
I saw your brown eyes
turning once to fire.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Breakfast with a Lover

You wake up after a wild night at the clubs. There's a man in bed next to you. How do you get past that awkward here's-your-pants-thanks-for-coming moment? Let's face it, until you've known a man for years, mornings are a bitch. Plan ahead. Have a few simple ingredients always on hand and you can enjoy the morning after just as much as you enjoyed the night before.

First and foremost you must invest in sexy robes. Yes, we know that you prefer to schlep around in the beat up terry-cloth thing you've had for years, but face it. . . that's not helping you look your best. Beauty doesn't have to be uncomfortable. I like a thigh-length Chinese silk wrap (I have several and can testify to the comfort of these!), or a cotton Japanese yukata (I have a fav in black with dragons; unbelted it sweeps the floor and trails behind as I walk--nicely showing a lot of leg).

Set up the coffee the night before (assuming you are capable of rational thought after clubbing or whatever). If you are smart and wake up first, do a bit of primping, throw on the robe, and start coffee before waking him with kisses. If he wakes first, send him to turn on coffee while you go primp.

Now you fix breakfast together:

Gevalia Coffee with Biscotti
Fresh Fruit and
Executive Home Fries

Executive Home Fries are a specialty of a little restaurant I love in Kent, Ohio. All you need are white potatoes, a variety of other ingredients, and at least three cheeses.

Depending on your preferences, either grate or finely dice 2-3 medium size potatoes with one small onion. In a large saute pan fry these on med-high heat in a couple tablespoons of virgin olive oil, flipping often.

While you fry the potatoes set him to chop the other ingredients. I usually add whatever I have in the fridge that seems suitable. Any cooked meats: leftover beef or pork bits, precooked sausage, ready to eat bacon (a good thing to keep on hand for adding to your cooking), deli ham. Any vegetables: broccoli, asparagus tips, celery, grated carrot, fresh tomatoes (little grape tomatoes are best), mushrooms, capers. With vegetables fresh is always better, but if all you have is frozen run them under warm and pat dry before throwing them in. Add ingredients as you go, adding things like tomatoes that need less cooking at the end. You want the potatoes fork-done and browned, all vegetables still a bit crisp. Some fresh herbs to add at the end could include (pick only one or two, don't overpower your flavors): parsley, savory, chives, tarragon, lovage (leaves), and, of course, fresh ground pepper and sea salt.

You also want to grate about a 3rd cup each of 3 different cheeses. My favorite combination is Jarlsburg swiss, asiago, and a tiny bit of crumbled feta. At this point turn off the heat, sprinkle the cheeses on top the potato mix, and cover it while you set the table with nice china and linen napkins.

Your fresh fruit can be whatever is in season, but think about presentation. Fill half of a stoned peach with tiny raspberries or blueberries. Toss pineapple and melon cubes with fresh mint leaves. Add a dollop of vanilla yogurt to a bowl of mixed berries.

If he offers to help with the washing up, he is a keeper. And after a luscious night and a delicious morning you can be pretty certain he'll back. If you want to insure that, drag him back to the bedroom for another round of morning calisthenics before he heads off to the gym or work or wherever!

Monday, June 18, 2007

Rules of Flirting: Rule #4

Rule 4: Don't discuss other men with the man you are with. When you are serious in your flirting, be sure to make the man you are with the center of all your attention. I suppose that works both ways, and the same applies for women too. Even if you don't intend it someone may feel "compared." We humans are fragile things, especially when falling in love.

Here's my song for today. . .

On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from a star like tears from a star
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are how fragile we are

-- Sting from the song "Fragile"

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Menu for a Romantic Dinner for Two

Ladies, you've met that special man. You want to make a special night of it. Don't ask him to take you out, cook for him. Here's the menu:

Filets wrapped in bacon with melted blue cheese
Grilled fingerling potatoes with herbes de Provence
Tossed salad of mixed greens, fresh herbs, and flowers

First the potatoes. You want the tiny new fingerling ones, 1"-2" round, no bigger. Cut them in half, or quarters, pieces small enough to fit easily in a shot glass. Sliver a small onion. Toss this together with enough olive oil to coat. Depending on the season you can add any or all of several fresh herbs: rosemary (has to be fresh, dried rosemary is nasty), buds of lavender (best when full and round but not yet bloomed), or savory. Experiment. Find the herbs, the scents, the flavors that you like, that he likes. If mixing flavors scares you buy a bottle of "Herbes de Provence"--a blend of these and other flavors. Put the potato mixture on a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil in a single layer and seal the edges. Throw this on the grill first, it will take about 15-20 minutes. Turn often. (If your grill is small, you can do these in the oven at about 400 degrees. Still need to turn often!)

Now for the steaks. You want two 7 oz. fillets (9 oz. if he's a man of hearty appetite). Roll the edges in crushed peppercorn, then wrap a thick slice of bacon around the edge. Secure with toothpicks. Let him do the grilling. It more fun to play together. Meat is more tender when rare, but the center must be barely warm (not cold) and still red (but not too bloody). At the very last minute add some crumbled Stilton bleu cheese to the top of the steak.

While he's grilling the steaks you toss the salad. Mixed spring greens are best, some carrot shredded, more fresh herbs (cilantro, tarragon, a tiny bit of fresh mint), some little grape tomatoes, maybe some mandarin oranges, strawberries sliced, some sunflower seed, and some fresh flowers. There are many edible (and tasty) flowers to add to your salad. Rose petals are good--be sure they are from the tiny Damask roses or wild roses, not those huge hot house flowers from the florist that have neither flavor nor scent!) Nasturtium blossoms add a peppery taste. Purple chive blossoms add a hint of onion. No, you are not likely to find these in your corner market, you have to grow them. It isn't hard, but it does take serious advance planning!

You can use any salad dressing you like but I recommend a raspberry-walnut vinaigrette. You can make your own or if you want to go with store bought, Ken's and Newman's are both good brands. Go easy on dressing, you want to flavor, but not overwhelm a salad.

Drinks? A red wine: a Merlot or a Shiraz. I am partial to the Aussie reds. Find out what he likes though. Is he a beer drinker? I like Blue Moon with sliced oranges, but some men find that a bit frou-frou. Get him to try something new. Tsingtao, a light Chinese beer or Negra Modelo a dark creamy Mexican brew.

Let's talk about salt and pepper. None of this canned black pepper or iodized salt junk. You need, if you don't already have them salt and pepper grinders. There are many peppers: red, green, white, pink and black. I prefer a mix of several. As for salt, sea salts are the best. I use Celtic grey sea salt for meats, a lighter Hawaiian red alae for vegetables.

Set the table for two in the garden (double benefit to growing your own!); use the best china, silver, linen napkins, fine crystal. Light candles everywhere. Dress up a bit, something slinky.

Music is your own choice, I'd uses Vangelis' soundtrack to the movie Blade Runner.

Enjoy the meal. Speak only of happy things, beautiful things, let go of the stresses of the day.

Dessert? Did I forget about dessert? No, I didn't. Be dessert. Make it sweet for him.

Saturday, June 9, 2007

The song for today: Fields of Gold



Can't get this song out of my head ... can't get a certain man out of my head either....

Fields of Gold by Sting

You'll remember me when the west wind moves
Upon the fields of barley
You'll forget the sun in his jealous sky
As we walk in the fields of gold . . .

. . . See the west wind move like a lover so
Upon the fields of barley
Feel her body rise when you kiss her mouth
Among the fields of gold
I never made promises lightly
And there have been some that I've broken
But I swear in the days still left
We'll walk in the fields of gold
We'll walk in the fields of gold . . . .

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Today's song: Mercy Street



It is raining today. Coffee sitting like acid in my belly. Sky all grey and so is my mood. The song I am listening to today is a Peter Gabriel tune called "Mercy Street."

"Mercy Street" (written for anne sexton)

looking down on empty streets, all she can see
are the dreams all made solid
are the dreams all made real
all of the buildings, all of those cars
were once just a dream
in somebody's head
she pictures the broken glass, she pictures the steam
she pictures a soul
with no leak at the seam

lets take the boat out
wait until darkness
let's take the boat out
wait until darkness comes

nowhere in the corridors of pale green and grey
nowhere in the suburbs
in the cold light of day
there in the midst of it so alive and alone
words support like bone


dreaming of mercy st.
wear your inside out
dreaming of mercy
in your daddy's arms again
dreaming of mercy st.
'swear they moved that sign
dreaming of mercy
in your daddy's arms


pulling out the papers from the drawers that slide smooth
tugging at the darkness, word upon word


confessing all the secret things in the warm velvet box
to the priest-he's the doctor
he can handle the shocks
dreaming of the tenderness--the tremble in the hips
of kissing Mary's lips

dreaming of mercy st.
wear your insides out
dreaming of mercy
in your daddy's arms again
dreaming of mercy st.
'swear they moved that sign
looking for mercy in your daddy's arms


mercy, mercy, looking for mercy
mercy, mercy, looking for mercy

Anne, with her father is out in the boat
riding the water
riding the waves on the sea

Monday, June 4, 2007

Tsai's life goes off on a Tangent

I am not even sure where I was when I met him. It has been only a week or so, and it feels like centuries. Time in SL messes you up like that. I was on a quest for the perfect pair of sexy shoes. You know all strappy and sparkly. And when I walked out of the store, there he was. Standing in the middle of the street, looking all dark and broody. Black hair in a ponytail, long wisps of it falling in his face. Dark glasses, black jacket. The kind of man your mother tells you to stay away from. A dark bird of prey. Dangerous. Desirable.

I wanted to try out my newest sexy walk so I strutted past him. Let him see my ass. That usually does the trick. I was expecting a wolf howl, or a raunchy comment. Was thinking, why don’t I get clients who look like that? Then he stopped me. Of all the unexpected things he could say, he asked the origins of my name. I told him that I’d tell him about mine if he’d tell me about his. We went to Mystic’s Club. (I highly recommend Slow Dance 4!) We danced. I have been dancing ever since.

There is something about this mystery man. He is an enigma—even for SL. Scary desires. The hands of an artist. The silver-tongue of a poet. "Verbal foreplay" he calls it and he is not wrong. Let me tell you, the give and take of teasing and flirting, the fencing with innuendo, and the right balance of sexy talk and promise—this is a fine art. Here’s the thing guys, most women know that the art of lovemaking lies not just in the look, but also in the words. You can be the hunkiest of hunks and if your dialogue is consistently "hey, I wanna f*** you!" you will not be getting flocks of hot women rushing to lie down for you.

It is easy for women to pick up most men. Men love to hear us talk sexy. But rare is the man who can keep us on our toes. Who can keep up his half of the dialogue, and mean it. I have met scores of men in SL... only a handful were truly good at SL flirting. One hot geek, one sexy Brit, and this man, my mystery lover.

Don’t know where this is going, don’t know how long it will last. Don’t care. I’ll fly this bird as long as he will return. No jesses, no hood. And if the talons he has hooked into my heart are occasionally scary—well, life is not...love is not... for sissies.

Sunday, June 3, 2007

A quiet sunset


Spent a quiet day with Bobby and Amanda, drinking wine around the pool. Giving each other back rubs. Amanda took pics of us in the hot tub, but I can't post those on the web as some of us were topless. Here's one of me that I took in Bobby's backyard. Isn't the sunset lovely? That blonde ain't bad either. . . .

What Would Coyote Do

For those of you who don't know about Coyote, He is the native American version of Loki--a trickster deity enjoys life to the fullest. (You want to know more about Coyote? Read the novels of Charles De Lint, seriously.) In the meantime, however, you should also check out Cadhla's take on him in http://www.livejournal.com/users/cadhla.

What follows is Cadhla's version of Coyote's 10 commandments. All I gotta say is: Well done!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Why Coyote Doesn't Give Commandments. by Cadhla

A friend of mine was talking the other day about God talking to Moses on the mountain, and handing down the commandments, and everything. Which led to the point that my patron deity doesn't really do commandments. "Well, why not?" was asked. "Um. Can you see Coyote giving commandments?" I replied...but of course, the damage was done, and I had to think about this now. Because that would be the way that my brain works, whether I want it to or not. Stupid brain. And now, after several days of thinking about it, I give you...

The Commandments of Coyote.

I. Thou Shalt Have As Many Gods and Spirits and Personal Trainers and Gurus As You Like Before Me, But You Shalt Not Let Them Block the Exits, and More, You Shall Not Permit Them To Take the Last Beer, For That Beer Is Mine. Seriously. Don't.

II. Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Wife, But Thou Art Totally Welcome To Admire Her Ass When She Walks By, and If It Happens To Come Out That They Are In An Open Relationship, Dude, Tap That Ass As Much As They Are Willing To Allow. Same Goes For the Ladies. Coveting Is Sort Of Stupid, But Sex Is Just Plain Fun, Unless Thou Art Doing It Entirely Wrong.

III. If Thy Neighbor Says 'Hands Off My Wife, Dude', Thou Shalt Listen and Back Off, Because Otherwise, Thy Neighbor Will Be Totally Justified In Hitting You About the Head and Shoulders With Gardening Tools, and Don't Think That I'm Going To Step In There and Stop Him.

IV. Adultery Is Actually Pretty Fun. Commit It All You Like. Just Make Sure Everyone Is Cool With It, Or I Will Not Help You Out Once the Hitting Gets Started.

V. Thou Shalt Not Eat Poisoned Bait. If You Do, Don't Come Whining To Me About It, Because I Am Very Unlikely To Care. Once It Is In Your Mouth, It Is Your Problem, Not Mine.

VI. Of Course Thou Shalt Kill. Carnivores Do That. Also, Swatting Mosquitoes, Sort Of Instinctive. But All Creatures Are Alive Before You Kill Them, and So Thou Shalt Respect Them In Their Lives and In Their Deaths. Thou Shalt Not Kill Without Reason. Thy Neighbor Tapping Thy Wife's Ass? Is Not A Reason. Don't Make Me Set A Plague Upon Thy Ass. Thou Wouldst Not Enjoy It, I Promise.

VII. Thou Shalt Not Hoard. Seriously, Here. If You Have Enough, Share. Only Asshats Bogart Life.

VIII. Thou Shalt Not Be A Martyr. If You Have One Beer, Drink It. Do Not Give It To Me and Then Expect Adoration. Dude, That Was Your Beer, I Did Not Break Your Arm To Get It. Give What You Can Give, and Expect Neither Praise Nor Worship. You Are Not Being Morally Superior, You Are Being A Decent Human Being. There Is A Difference.

VIV. Assume This Is It. Maybe There Is Reincarnation; Maybe Not. Not Only Am I Not Saying, Please Consider the Fact That I Probably Get A Say In Whether You Come Back, and If You Are the Sort Of Person Who Doesn't Do Anything With One Life, Why Should I Waste My Time Giving You Another One? Live Like You Get No Second Chances. You Will Have More Fun.

X. Are You Going To Eat That?
=====================================================
@ Seanan (cadhla) 2005-08-30 cadhla's LiveJournal:
http://www.livejournal.com/users/cadhla/827233.html
(A Free-Linking Zone, by her own words)
=====================================================

Saturday, June 2, 2007

You are loved

Sometimes we hurt. Sometimes we feel pain. Sometimes we think that no one else could understand what we are going through. The universe is serendipitous. It brings us together when we need each other.

This is a Josh Groban song that I want to share with someone who needs to know that I care. . .

Don't give up
It's just the weight of the world
When your heart's heavy I
I will lift it for you

Don't give up
Because you want to be heard
If silence keeps you I
I will break it for you

Everybody wants to be understood
Well I can hear you

Everybody wants to be loved
Don't give up
Because you are loved

Don't give up
It's just the hurt that you hide
When you're lost inside I
I'll be there to find you

Don't give up
Because you want to burn bright
If darkness blinds you I
I will shine to guide you

Everybody wants to be understood
Well I can hear you

Everybody wants to be loved
Don't give up
Because you are loved (you are loved)
You are loved (you are loved)

Don't give up (don't give up)
It's just the weight of the world (you are loved)
Don't give up (don't give up)
Everyone needs to be heard (don't give up)
You are loved (you are loved)

Friday, June 1, 2007

Rules for Flirting

So I was at the Lotus Moon dancing (and flirting) with a very sexy man and we somehow began discussing the rules for flirting. What, you say? Rules? Yes, I tell you. RULES!

Flirting is a fine and noble art. It dates back to the first caveman who took the hand of his cavegirl rather than just thumping her on the head and dragging her off by the hair. The Courtesans of Ancient Greece and Rome knew the game, as did the concubines of China and the Geisha of Japan. (I won't go into the list of famous flirts of history from whom you could learn much, as that is for a future post, but if you want a few names to conjure with, consider Lalage, Yang Guifei, and Inara Serra.) I'm here to tell you we need more lessons in the art of flirting. Ladies, pay attention if you want to get attention. Gentlemen pay heed or risk being rude and crude, and getting slapped.

And in the spirit of sharing the info, I give you my rules for flirting . Here are the first three, stay tuned for future installments. . . .

RULE #1: Never flirt with someone with whom you couldn't be serious. Light flirting is one thing, but it is not fair to tease a man into thinking you'd go to bed with him if you never would. Too many people break this rule, unreasonable expectations are raised, and then people get hurt.

RULE #2: Lay the ground rules up front. If you don't want him then be clear. . . say something to the effect of how: "flirting is so much fun with you because I know you know better than to take me seriously." If you do want him (or her) also make it clear. Say something like: "flattery will get you everywhere, honey." Don't, however, go too quickly too fast. This is a dance, a game. Savor the moment.

RULE #3: Don't Lie. Ever. You can exaggerate. Compliment, of course. But if you tell a whooper, he'll know. And he'll never trust anything you say after that. Flirting is like fencing--feint, step back, thrust. But your point must be true or you'll never get the kill.

Continued: Rule #4