I have terrible news, Andrew.

Andrew, I’m sorry. I’ve met another man. He can cook, too.

66%

This represents 66% of the feline members of our household. As Davis aptly pointed out, they look like yin and yang sitting like this.

Maybe it’s good luck.

Have a nice weekend.

You’re the best.

If you’re from around these parts, and are of a (ahem) certain age, you are sure to remember Best Products.

But before I tell you why I needed to write this, I want to tell you what I discovered in researching it. I went to college in Richmond, VA and there was a house on the main strip with these beautiful modern sculptures. I always slowed to see them. Since I didn’t drive a car, but rather a bicycle, that wasn’t hard to do. Anyway, this stuff was amazing and the house was modern and beautiful and a dream to me. I loved that place. It was owned by the Lewis family. Not sure how I knew that, but I did. I didn’t know this was the family that started Best Products.

But I did know that Best Products had the coolest buildings in the world. Or so I thought. You can see the best ones here. They have a sense of humor. And they’re inviting. It’s pretty fun stuff.

Okay, I went off track. Back to the store. Or the story, maybe.

I don’t know why I was thinking about this. Oh wait, I do. I’m reading the new Laura Lippman book (I admit, I love a good mytery/cop book) and one of the characters mentions a catalog store.

It stopped me.

A catalog store? Huh?

OH RIGHT! I remember. We got these catalogs in the mail with luggage and answering machines and jewelry and all kinds of things. You can order on the phone. (No online, of course! There was no online!) Or you could go to the store.

Our Best was on Security Boulevard. It was right near the Bell Store – which was kind of like it but I always sensed it wasn’t as nice. Whatever that means. It seemed like a copy. But maybe it was first.

But at any rate…

We’d go into Best (and isn’t that a good name? Clearly there is none better. It’s best!) and there was one of each thing out. Look in the catalog or on the tag and get the number. Fill out the slip and turn it in. Then, off to the pick-up area where your stuff would come down a conveyor belt from the sky.

Somehow, I found this fascinating. (I can hear you. That’s not nice!)

Anyway, I suppose at this point there is no point to this story except to have shared it. Unless I take this to the next step which is to trace the retail course to where we are now.

But I have work to do. So that’s a post for another time. And I might even use that one on my company research blog!

P.S.

For those of you who didn’t understand the headline reference this morning, Liz found the commercial I was referring to! Yay!

he he he he levi’s

The first place I bought Levi’s. Pants Corral.

It was a wonderful place.

The pants were stacked by color. By style. It was heaven. And fortunately for me, there was one right there on Offut Road off Liberty. What an oasis.

The other day, the name came back to me. And I looked it up.

OMG! Did you know it was owned by our grocery store chain? The GIANT? I am beyond disappointed. I am freaking out here!

Now I realize that cool was so not. Those color corduroys? Nothing special. We were pawns. Pawns of the conglomerate that brought you Count Chocula and bananas.

Yikes.

I wish I had something pithy to say. But I’m in such distress. Maybe I’ll boycott jeans for all time.

Or not.

Home at last.

What a whirlwind! Andrew and I flew to Miami at the crack of dawn on Friday and are already home. But you know what? It seemed like we had a week-long vacation. Seriously.

Our friends were amazing hosts. Their condo on the beach has such a view. I could go on but in truth? Nothing I can say could match the beauty. The ocean was a perfect greenish blue. And clear. So clear. The sky was a perfect cloudless shade of blue that first day. Only later could I believe it’d be even more spectacular with a dark stormy sky. The contrast was remarkable.

Day one was spent poolside. We had an authentic Cuban lunch at Versailles in Little Havana – and the plantains were served with a mojo sauce that was so garlicky that it almost seemed unlikely I’d be happy to have had it. But oh, boy, was I happy. It was heaven.

We bought 2 boxes of Cuban pastries to hold us over in between meals. OMG. To die for.

Not to make you think that all I care about is food, but the dinner that night at Alta Mar was spectacular.

Day two. Slept in. Lunch at a French cafe in Coconut Grove. I can’t remember the name. The cafe au lait was great and I had a bowl of tropical fruit. Andrew had eggs benedict. We all shared a blueberry pancake stack that was more crepe than pancake. Delish. Service? Very French – in other words, they kind of ignored us. But that’s okay.

The guys went for a ride. Beth and I went shopping. I hate to shop. Particularly when I have something I really need. But we went from store to store looking and trying on dresses and suits. Beth was a trooper. (She did find a great pair of jeans, so that’s some consolation.) And I found a lovely dress in a tiny boutique off the beaten path.

Now that the “work” was done, it was time for the beach.

What else did you expect?

We read and talked and hung out for much longer than we expected. So dinner was late. We went to a place with a beautiful view and okay food. The mojitos were terrific, but they ran out of MINT. Now seriously, folks. This is Miami. Can you really run out of mint at the bar on a Saturday night? Like at 8:30 pm? Ludicrous!

Next morning? Slept in. Again. I know, this sounds monotonous, but it was everything but. I was in heaven.

Brunch out somewhere – I forgot the name. No matter. It was delicious. Then, guess what?

Back to the beach after a little exploration.

Dinner last night was phenomenal. We went to a small Italian place. I had a nice pasta with porcini mushrooms after we all shared some carpaccio. Andrew’s veal shank looked great, but it’s not my thing.

And sadly, this morning we packed up and left.

About 100 pounds heavier.

That’s not true. I didn’t gain an ounce. How could that be? Must have sweat it out (because I sure didn’t exercize it off!)

Most importantly, I had a revelation.

I was born to shop in Miami. As I looked around at the women (note I am not talking about the waifs on South Beach here but rather about the real women who live in the area), I realized I look like them. I have the badonkadonk of a Latina.

This isn’t a bad thing. I like it just fine. But it’s frustrating trying on clothes built for skinny white girls. (No offense to you skinny white girls who read this. You know who you are!)

So maybe I’ll go back to Miami next time I need something nice to wear. It’s like being home at last. Hey, maybe I have some Latin blood? Mom?

Thanks Ellen~

Your posts made me smile! I had terrible internet connection where I was staying, but managed to take a peek at your posts. I’m lucky to have a blogger-stand-in! Thank you!

I’ve Got Crabs

Yes, it’s true, I’ve got crabs.  I get them every year at this time.  I itch for them.  No, not those kinds of crabs. The kind you get at great dives with saw dust and peanut shells on the floor.  Every summer when our kids go off to camp for 2 weeks my husband and I buy crabs.   We can only afford to do this once during the year, so it has to be when our kids are away.  After all, with the shortage of crabs and their ever increasing cost, we couldn’t afford to get a sitter AND pay for crabs. So here we are on the deck, picking through the crabs, enjoying every minute of it.  I admit, it was a little hard to get past the crazy price per dozen, but after the first crab, I forgot all about it.  I remember growing up and going out as a family for crabs.  We could do it at least 3 times a summer.  I feel bad that my kids won’t be able to have that memory of growing up in Maryland.  I feel worse for the environment and the decreasing jobs for fishermen.  Makes eating crabs feel dirty.  Kind of like the other kind of crabs.

One-Hit Wonders

I admit it, I’m a goober. I can poke fun at myself way before anyone else. Nothing proves this more than my taste in music. I like One-Hit Wonders! (O.K., start laughing now) My i-pod is chock full of them. (see, I told you I’m a goober) So, I wasn’t surprised to see that on the top 100 One-hit Wonders list, I had, roughly, HALF! What’s worse, I OWNED many of these on cassette tape or disc! Maybe it’s a bit of nostalgia, maybe I never developed a good ear for good music. Who knows?! But I will tell you, I get a smile on my face every time I hear one of these songs!

Duty calls.

It’s going to be tough. But someone has to do it.

(I’m back on Tuesday. Ellen said she might guest blog while I’m gone. I have to admit, I’m a little nervous. But have at it, El!)