Topiary flamingo

I often wonder why I like topiaries so much. In simple terms, it is just
plants, moss, and flowers put together. I think it is because I like the
idea of using something pretty to create another something. Having
pretty flowers attached to a wire frame design creates a sweet smelling,
arrangment. It is also interesting to see what plants are used for
particular features because of their colors or textures. It is not
enough to plant flowers on to the wire frame, but it takes a certain
amount of design ability and coordination also.
I wish that I had the talent to create topiaries and take care of them.
I have a difficult time just trying to keep a plant in a pot alive so I
know that the topiary expertise is probably out of the question.
Although I cannot maintain one, I do admire its beauty and commend the
hard work to create this temporary masterpiece.

If  you are ever in Greenwood SC during the month of June, you should take the topiary walk. To know more about it, check out http://www.scfestivalofflowers.org/

Breck's - North Charleston dive

To see the exterior of this restaurant, I was a bit skeptical about going inside. Is this a honky tonk bar? Oh well, I was in North Charleston and did not know where else to go. 

Inside, was a different story. Instead of seeing a dimly lit, smokey restaurant, it was well lit with tables and chairs. It was more family restaurant than a bar. Hubby and I seated ourselves and a nice waitress brought us menus. There was so much that I wanted to order but I decided to go with the special Seafood platter. Good choice! The fried fish had a few bones that I had to look out for so that I did not choke. Other than that, it was delicious. The light breading had just enough seasoning so that it was not too salty. The crab cake had more stuffing than crab, but that was okay because it was flavorful. And the fried shrimp ... were perfect.

And it came with salad and a vegetable side (I ordered cabbage). The blue cheese dressing (on the right) was homemade with major chunks of blue cheese. And the other creamy dressing was peppercorn. Both were really good, transforming ordinary iceberg lettuce into something that I wanted to eat.

  

By the end, I was stuffed, sated and ready to go to sleep.

Joseph of Charleston

I went to Charleston last weekend and wanted to visit some of the places
featured on Food Network programs. For breakfast Sunday morning, I
decided to go to Joseph's of Charleston that was featured on Anthony
Bourdain's No Reservations. Since the restaurant is on Meeting Str and
it is somewhat difficult to find parking downtown in that area, I spent
about 15-20 minutes circling the area to find a parking space that was
not too far out of walking distance. So after I spent considerable
amount of effort to get there, it was disheartening to walk up and see
the sign saying the establishment is closed.
That was not enough.
They want me to visit one of their sister locations. At this point, it
does not matter how good the food is at their other restaurants. They
are obviously paying the web hosting for the www.josephsofcharleston.com
website which gives people false hope of being able to enjoy a great
breakfast at that specific location. The least they could do was to have
a note on the front page of that website that is the same as the sign on
the door.
This restaurant group lost my business because I did not want the
headache. I am not walking all over downtown, especially in this heat,
to find their restaurants. Marketing Lesson 101 - Update your
website!!!!
After that fiasco, I went to a restaurant that was not on Food Network
but came highly recommended by a friend - Crave in Mount Pleasant. Great
restaurant with ambiance and killer brunch menu. But more on that in a
later post with pictures to match. Yummm!

Herman Cain

Herman Cain is such an idiot. I do not understand why people keep tolerating  his ignorant behavior. At first it was funny to hear some of the off the wall things he was saying. But now, it is just so sad. More closed minded talk from someone who professes to promote peace but is really about war. Reminds me of the book 1984.  The Ministry of Peace was actually promoting war.
This world needs REAL, lasting change. I can't wait until that happens.

Nature programs rant

It annoys me that people on nature programs talk about how complex an animal is and then attribute all that complexity to chance. As if millions of years of evolution could result in the millions of species that are on the earth today. I do not buy it. Plus, if an animal does something out of instinct, then it cannot be learned behavior. So the way an animal acts now would have been the same way that animal would have reacted thousands or millions of years ago. Just because scientist just discovered it, does not mean it has not always been that way.

I know that scientists are always looking to discover why something happens, but it is okay to acknowledge that there is a Creator that made all of this possible. The fact that He took the time to create animals with amazing attributes in such a way that complements their environment is genius.

Tony's Oyster Bar - Cary NC

Tony's Oyster Bar in Cary NC
The food started off great but then declined rapidly by the time I got to the main course.

On the appetizer plate, I had ahi tuna topped with pickled ginger, spinach dip with toast, alligator bites, calamari. The tuna melted in my mouth

 She crab soup with hushpuppies. The soup was very salty. I could barely eat it. Even another guy in our group said that it was not the best that he had tasted. 

Angel hair seafood duo with scallops and shrimp with marinara sauce. I had to ask for more marinara sauce because what little that was on the pasta tasted watered down.

Netflix

Netflix sent me an email yesterday saying that they are raising their prices.

My first reaction was “Booooooo!” Yes I regressed to first grade level type of response. My negative feelings are not because they raised the price, but that they are basically disregarding the consumers that they helped them get to be so successful. Other companies grandfather in their current customer’s payment plans when making price changes. I guess that Netflix got too full of themselves and think just because customers bragged about the great Netflix deal, they were committed to staying with the company no matter what.  Maybe if Netflix spent less money on advertising on every webpage within Facebook, they would have lower prices.

Needless to say, I was seriously contemplating if I was going to continue my Netflix membership.

Netflix forgot that I do have other options: Blockbuster and Redbox. You are welcome for my business Netflix and it was good while it lasted. Since nothing good last forever, see ya later suckers!

Poetry - Seize Life

Seize Life

Release all fear

Break through your shell

Spread your wings with confidence

Know that you are beautiful

Bright, brilliant, and colorful

Waiting to expand your range

Begin your flight to see the world

Life was meant to be enjoyed

Soar above the clouds

Fly at such altitude to observe

Dreams of your youth come to fruition

What was impossible has become attainable

Transformation has made it inevitable

Poetry - Vocal Bandit

You took my voice and have left me speechless

Words cannot do justice to what I am feeling

Happy, content, good, great

are adjectives that seem ill equipped to describe my emotional state

At a time when I should be able to eloquently express myself

My loquaciousness is gone

All I can do is smile, shrugging my shoulders as if that should suffice

Who knew one emotion could be this powerful?

If only people could see how much my heart has grown inside of me

They could understand the wonderful, breathtaking sensation

And comprehend how intensely thankful I am that these feelings are not one sided

FREE WHOLE **ENTREE** at chick fil a today.

The costume is just little pieces like the ears and nose & sign and just tape it  …

http://www.cowappreciationday.com/assets/external/pdf/CowParts.pdf

 

 

Chick-Fil-A is sponsoring Cow Appreciation Day on Friday, July 8th. Dress up like a cow and you will receive a free meal! If you only wear a partial costume, you are eligible for a free entrée

Parking in Philly

Tip of the Day: If you don't want a ticket when parking on the street in Philly, make sure you pay for your parking! If you have your doubts that this will work, watch Parking Wars and you will understand completely.

Wearing school uniforms- PRO

Why do students attend school? Is school to be likened to a fashion show? Is it for the purpose of learning? One would respond without hesitation that students attend school to learn and broaden their knowledge of various subjects. When public schools require their students to wear uniforms, they are removing a variable that can become a distraction to the learning process.  Wearing uniforms create unity among the students, prevent discrimination based on clothing, and reduce discipline problems.

 

When uniforms are required, all students look the same. The harmony of the clothing can work to unify the student body. For example, there is no way to determine if a student if from a rich family or poor family when everyone is dressed in a uniform.

 

Wearing uniforms at school limits discrimination based on clothing. For example, a student may wear clothing with colors associated with a local gang. The teacher may discriminate against that student because he thinks that that student does not care about learning. What the teacher does not know is that student only wears the gang colors to prevent problems with the local gang. The student wants to learn in order to advance himself, but because of the teacher’s assessment, is not given the opportunity. If the school required student uniforms, the teacher would not have made an incorrect assessment based on the student’s attire.

 

Wearing a uniform can reduce discipline problems.  Although schools have decency policies regarding dress, many students choose to dress in an indecent manner. However, this can be avoided when uniforms are required. Students will have definite, instead of subjective, guidelines as to what is accepted dress. The clear boundaries will help to prevent discipline problems.

 

At times, clothes can be used as a means to divide one another. Incorrect conclusions are sometimes drawn solely by observing the way a person is dressed. Wearing uniforms can prevent some problems and actually work to create unity in the school. Additionally, requiring uniforms in school is teaching an important lesson for young people. Although they may come from different backgrounds and have different types of families,   they are learning to treat everyone equally.

Festival of Flowers - Park Seed Flower day

today in news July 7 2011

http://www.newser.com/story/122802/show-off-mistress-tips-chinese-to-red-cross-graft.html

Human nature gets people in trouble all the time. I guess the enjoyment of material things is not complete unless there is a way to show off one’s ill gotten gains. Reminds of a girl that was featured on MTV Sweet 16 program and that is how some people looking for father found him (he had embezzled a lot of money from them). For the complete story, google it. Yea yea. I know I am vague with details. The point is, you would think that people who are stealing, embezzling, or siphoning money would keep a lower profile so as not to draw attention to the fact that they are STEALING! But the impulse to brag is too great. It just goes to show that money cannot buy happiness.

 

http://www.newser.com/story/122810/guys-need-hugs-more.html

I knew guys needed more hugs, but hubby is not convinced. I guess we will have to try out our own experiments with me giving him more hugs daily. I know, in 10-15 years, he will thank me for my persistence.

 

http://www.newser.com/story/122812/tabloid-suspected-of-hacking-phones-linked-to-war-dead.html

Rupert Murdoch is most likely Darth Vader with the goal to take over the world with his empire of news organizations which sway public opinion. There is corruption in so many other areas, why am I not surprised about this. I am not saying that everyone who works is his organization is corrupt, but I think more often than not, their journalistic integrity is called into question and it becomes a choice if they want to keep their jobs. And in this economy, many will sell their souls to the devil if they think it will help them support their families or further their careers.

 

http://www.newser.com/story/122842/donald-trump-i-might-run-as-independent-in-2012-presidential-race.html

Trump needs to concentrate on his hair rather than trying to stay in the news with this presidential nonsense. He says it is real but it really looks like a bad toupee. All the money he has and he cannot afford a decent stylist. Why doesn’t he put his supposed financial talents to good use and help some non-profit organizations? Really work with them and not take the easy way out and just write a check. Donate time at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen.