I’m not sure how I would feel about a fish watching me while I eat caviar and sashimi. Would he be judging me? I see you eating my brothers!! What possesses someone to even come up with such a display? And wonder how long these fish live? How many times a day do they witness their own being eaten? Is he traumatized by this? What if he ends up belly up by the end of the meal? Do I just eat him too? Is he served to the next customer? Or is he supposed to be uber-fresh sashimi, slippery-slidy down my throat?

I stumbled upon this entree on Tsar Nicoulai Caviar’s website. I probably would order this, though. 1) Just to see if I can answer my questions above, and 2) I love ahi tuna sashimi and, 3) Ginger Infused Whitefish Caviar sounds delicious.

Filed under:
Observances by Courtney

It was another movie night for me, with another classic – The Wizard of Oz. I love the movie, and I love the book. I just wish they had put the china-land into the movie. If I ever continue with the postcards series, that will be the next image.

Again, as I watched the movie, I couldn’t help but think how it would have been so different today. I guess I just wonder if any of the movies that are made today will become classics. I doubt it – very few at least.

If The Wizard of Oz were made today, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion couldn’t have just gotten along. One of them would have had to be the outcast that the others made smarmy comments to. Toto would have worn a t-shirt with “Bitch” on it, or some other tongue-and-cheek saying. Instead of the opening scene in Oz being plastic flowers and painted backgrounds, it would have been a multi-million dollar background complete with computer-generated effects, that in the end would have been the focus instead of leaving it on Judy Garland. And munchkins — well, that would have been politically incorrect or insensitive I’m sure. I’m not sure how that would have changed, but I’m sure it would have.

Sometimes simpler is better.

Filed under:
Observances by Courtney

I curl up on the couch and settle in to watch a movie. A couple of nights ago it was Gentleman Prefer Blondes, a favorite of mine for obvious reasons — well, maybe not. I’m blonde, I like old movies, especially those done in technicolor, and I love Marilyn Monroe.

It is a rather cheesy movie, but it makes me laugh. While I was watching it I came to realize just how much the ideal body shape has changed over the years. Believe me, I’ve never been a proponent of the whole “you should love your body as it is” movement. You should try to stay slim, look nice, be healthy, not get fat, etc.

But if you compare Marilyn or Jane Russell to any of the “famous” actresses of today, wow. They look like skeletons. At what point did skeletons become sexy? Or, at what point did curvy Marilyn become fat?

Filed under:
Miscellany by Courtney

I’ve sat on this stool a lot this year. Sitting this low in the kitchen gives me a different perspective.

I’ve spent a lot of time on this stool crying this year too. When my cousin died, when my great-grandmother died, and when I found out my grandmother was in the hospital. Something about being low to the ground was better than sitting on the couch, staring at electronics. Plus, my dog can reach me a lot easier at the stool level.

Despite the fact the stool is constantly in the way (the boyfriend and I stub our toes and knock our shins on it often) and it’s not the best stool for reaching high into the cabinets (it teeter-totters very easily) the stool remains. It’s somewhat of a comfort, like having a blankey.

I like sitting on it on good days too, not just to cry. Sitting, staring at the beige-ness of the kitchen. It can be slighly surreal. Or just sitting and talking to the boyfriend as he cleans up dishes and such. It’s my kitchen island.

My mom bought this stool for me when I first moved to Kansas City. I needed something to sit my radio on in the bathroom. In my last apartment I used it to grab sweaters from the top of my closet.

My stool reminds me of the one at my grandmother’s house, I believe it was my uncle’s. It was a little red stool, slightly more stable than mine, and it had a little story about the red stool on top. I don’t remember exactly what it said — it may have alluded to kids using it to reach the sink to brush their teeth.

Filed under:
Reminiscences by Courtney

I hadn’t realized it until lately, but apparently I’m really into lily pads and the flowers that go with. You can see them here, here, here, and here (okay, that was just the one above again).

Maybe I’ll find another water lily for your viewing pleasure tomorrow.

Filed under:
just a picture, Observances by Courtney