Annie :The Work of Pure Imagination

Blast from the past

2009-07-09T06:47:40Z

It's almost 1 AM here and I cannot fall asleep. Gah, stupid tea. Since I'm not at all sleepy, I stumbled across onceuponawin.com/ and found so many lost toys of my childhood

South Beach Diet

2009-06-03T03:34:44Z

Phase 1 Day 2

I tested my will power today at Whole Foods...and Lord Almighty, I was strong! They had samples of cherries and chocolate cake. Even though I did try to rationalize tasting them, I knew that if I did, I would be beat myself up for doing it. Managed to buy coffee without anything extra and then came home and snacked on eggbeaters and cheese.

Onward to day three.

Mardi Gras is over

2009-03-10T03:30:30Z

I can't believe it's been almost 2 weeks since Mardi Gras has ended. New Orleans never stops though..there is another parade for St. Patrick's day this weekend. Cabbage!! Beads!!

Anyway, I wanted to post some pictures that I took. There is more at my flickr account flickr.com/photos/chloechoo/

Writer's Block: Honey Bear

2009-01-18T19:50:46Z

Happy birthday, A. A. Milne! Not coincidentally, it's also Winnie the Pooh Day. Which resident of Pooh Corner do you identify with the most?

View 500 Answers

Happy Winnie the Pooh Day! I think I wore out my beta and vhs tape of the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh when I was a kid :)

I'm most likely to be a Pooh/Rabbit/Eeyore hybrid. Haha, wouldn't that be an interesting cartoon character to draw.

I'm a Pooh because:

I can get overly concerned about my friends and family almost to the point where my problems are put in the backseat.
I love sweets. *rumbly in my tumbly*

I'm Rabbit

I get OCD about rules
I like my area clean
I love veggies

I'm Eeyore

It's ok to feel like there is a raincloud over my head
I'm always losing things

It's not delivery..but it's not digiorno either

2009-01-17T01:13:43Z

I've attempted to make my own pizza dough before and it was an utter failure. The dough didn't rise and it ended up being a sticky chewy mess. Well today I got obsessed and decided to try out Bittman's recipe for pizza. You don't know how proud I was when my baby began to rise out of its bowl!

Before.....

Voila!

It's whole wheat too, so it's healthy, right??

Dear Santa

2008-12-18T20:21:30Z

Dear Santa,
This has been a shitty year AND I've been good through out it all. I know these are economic times for all of us but could you spread your magic my way and send me some pretty presents?

I'd like a new straightening iron by GHD

A back up hard drive since my laptop may die at any moment and I have a lot of pictures and music files on it

An ice cream maker

Love, Annie

SNOLA!!!

2008-12-11T18:36:45Z

Holy Crap! SNEAUXING in New Orleans!!!

In the Holiday spirit?

2008-12-06T17:55:23Z

Writer's Block: Autumn Begins

2008-09-22T20:34:01Z

Autumn starts today! How do you personally sense the change in seasons? Is Autumn more of a season in itself, or a transition period?

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It takes forever for NOLA to feel the change in seasons. While the rest of the country is starting to cool down, we are still wearing tank tops, shorts and flip flops. I know, I know, the grass is always greener on the other side. People in Michigan are probably wishing they could only wear one layer while I am complaining about it. I want to feel the crisp air and not the heat and humidity outside. I want to wear cardigans and boots.

Autumn also means that my birthday is around the corner! Another year of getting older. Another excuse to eat cake (I am so getting a Creole Creamery cake this year. Sorry Coldstone). Last year I ate at August for my birthday. OMG, the FOIS GRAS was AMAZING. This year, I'm aiming for Herbsaint and drinking a sazerac. Happy Birthday to me!

Gustav's Guide to Hurricane Survival

2008-09-15T13:37:21Z

Gustav's Guide to Hurricane Survival

Lessons Learned During and After the Storm

The hurricane grouch quotient can be calculated by adding the number of children and pets in a home without power, multiplied by the number of days quoted on the Entergy telephone recording, divided by the number of fans or portable air conditioners powered by your home generator, (however if you were last in line at Home Depot and have no generator then multiply by the daily high for that day reported by either Pat Shingleton or Jay Grymes), then add the number of trips to the washateria and the days left until school opens. Discount by the percentage of time spent at neighbors who have power. Recalculate as often as necessary No matter how many times you flick the switch, lights don't work without electricity.

Vienna sausages only appear on the food pyramid during hurricane season.
Gas mileage is recalculated based on miles per fume.
Lovebugs do not disappear in 80mph wind gusts.

Disasters can cancel one LSU football game but there will be even bigger casualties if we cancel two.

Despite protests, kids can re-live their parents' youth when there were only 3 tv channels!

Cats are even more irritating without power.

Baton Rouge without traffic lights resembles Mexico City, Rome, Los Angeles and New York City all rolled into a single snarl.

A 7 lb bag of ice will chill 6-12 oz beers to a drinkable temperature in 11 minutes, and still keep a 14 lb. turkey frozen for 8 more hours.

There are/were a lot of really big trees around here!

Just because you're 18 doesn't mean you can stay out as late as you want. Mayor Holden meant business when he said curfew.

People will get into a line that has already formed without having any idea what the line is for.

Calories consumed during a hurricane or power outage do not count.

Telemarketers function no matter what the weather is doing. New Delhi does not check the weather report in Baton Rouge.

Most popular text message after September 1: do u hve pwr

Twenty-seven of your neighbors are fed from a different transformer than you, and they are quick to point that out!

Crickets and cicadas can increase their volume to overcome the sound of 14 generators.

Dirty clothes in an unsupervised hamper multiply at an exponential rate.

Coffee, spaghetti and frozen pizzas can be made on a grill.

He who has the biggest generator wins.

Tree service companies are under-appreciated, except after hurricanes.

Our Lady of the Lake never closes. Really.

Water will fill the Acadian Thruway underpass, even sometimes when it is not raining.

There are a lot more stars in the sky than most people thought.

If you owned a store that sold only ice, chain saws, gas and generators, you would be rich

With only a small amount of guilt South Louisiana can collectively pray a second hurricane to landfall in another state or country.

Shrimp Fra’diavolo

2008-06-27T22:10:36Z

Recipe follows....

After searching for the perfect recipe for my unopened bag of shrimp, I finally stumbled across this one from Giada De Laurentiis (aka my homegirl). I had to adapt to the recipe since (a), I didn’t have a can of diced tomatoes and (b) I didn’t have white wine. Instead, I used my can of no sugar added tomato sauce and sake. Yes, you read that right, SAKE. I was a little afraid of using it because in the back of my head, I kept on thinking “is it a sin to mix Japanese and Italian food?”. Giada might have a heart attack but the dish turned out to be terrific. The flavors of the garlic and fresh herbs ( basil and rosemary) complemented the red pepper shrimp. This dish is absolutely going to be filed under the “must make again” list!

Giada De Laurentiis’s Shrimp Fra’diavolo

1 pound large shrimp peeled, deveined
1 teaspoon salt, plus additional as needed
1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons
1 medium onion, sliced
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
3 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
3 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves

Toss the shrimp in a medium bowl with 1 teaspoon of salt and red pepper flakes. Heat the 3 tablespoons oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and saute for about a minute, toss, and continue cooking until just cooked through, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a large plate; set aside. Add the onion to the same skillet, adding 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the pan, if necessary, and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices wine, garlic, and oregano. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Return the shrimp and any accumulated juices to the tomato mixture; toss to coat, and cook for about a minute so the flavors meld together. Stir in the parsley and basil. Season with more salt, to taste, and serve.

Things that irritate me at Christmas

2007-12-06T02:31:58Z

1. People who decorate with white and colored Christmas lights outside. Stick with one color scheme people!
2. People who have inflatable snowglobes, cartoon characters, or anything else that requires air
3. The plastic Santas.
4. Yards that are filled with Christmas knick knacks.

TLC time

2006-10-10T15:21:14Z

Today is my first day at the Humane Society. I have to leave in a couple of hours but I am already excited to get my doggie and kitty loving. I just hope that I can handle the bigger dogs (Clunkers is soooo tiny!). Is it weird that I am NOT looking forward to my upcoming birthday? I just feel OLD. Lord, how am I going to handle it when I turn 30 in a couple of years (ewww scary age!)

101 things in 1001 Days

2006-08-30T05:58:00Z

The List

101 in 1001...as seen on Triplux.com (go http://www.triplux.com/1001/otherlists.asp there and make your own)
Basically, you make a list of 101 things you would like to accomplich in 1001 days. So here are my 101. I'm starting today, August 30, 2006, so that puts the end date at Wednesday, May 27, 2009. I'll bold the items when I've completed them, and include the date. I'll also make additional blog entries to detail my progress and completion of individual items. Aaaaaannnnnddddd....GO!

1. Finish this list
2. Visit NOLA
3. Visit NYC
4. Visit London, England
5. See the British Museum
6. Meet Paula Deen
7. Learn how to decorate a cake
8. See Mary Poppins on Broadway
9. Read "The Life of Pi"
10. Build a real snowman
11. Learn to ski
12. Get in to nursing school
13. Ride a jetski
14. Buy a new ipod
15. Eat Beignets
16. Visit LA
17. Visit the Philippines
18. Bring back old momentos from the PI
19. Get Lasik
20. Buy a Chloe Paddington Bag
21. Adopt a second dog
22. Return to a healthy BMI
23. Go on the Sex and City tour
24. Own a kitchenaid mixer
25. Find a pair of comfy boots
26. Make it to Mardi Gras
27. Read "Les Miserables"
28. Read "A tree grows in Brooklyn"
27. Read "To kill a Mockingbird"
28. Learn how to make a souffle
29. Make a halloween costume
30. Ride a bike for over 3 miles
31. Volunteer at the animal shelter
32. Watch all the seasons of 24
33. Clean out my closet
34. Watch the Punkie Brewster dvd that I bought 2 years ago
35. Learn French
36. Get my passport
37. Travel to Canada
38. Conquer yoga without getting a stiff back
39. Get a hair cut by the one and only Jared
40. Drink Absente
41. Learn how to develop pictures
42. Make a gingerbread house
43. Read an autobiography
44. Read a biography
45. Buy teeth whitener
46. Buy a ski jacket with fake fur hoodie
47. Buy the Return to NOLA ring
48. Take a scrapbooking class
49. See the Rockafella Tree in Christmas
50. Walk in heels without falling on my ass
51.

pink_martini15 @ 2006-08-27T23:30:00

2006-08-28T03:31:15Z

A city on hold
One year later, New Orleans has become The Waiting Place
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Chris Rose

I think I speak for most everyone in the room when I say: I am ready for Aug. 30.

I am ready get on with the next phase of all of this, whatever joys or traumas, comedy or tragedy, successes or setbacks it may bring.

It seems like we folks in and around New Orleans have been stuck in that netherworld so aptly described in Dr. Seuss' immortal reflection in the pages of "Oh, the Places You'll Go!"

He called it the "The Waiting Place."

"Waiting for the fish to bite

or waiting for wind to fly a kite

or waiting around for a Friday night

or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake

or a pot to boil to, or a Better Break

or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants

or a wig with curls, or Another Chance

Sound familiar? Sound like your life?

Substitute "insurance settlement," "FEMA trailer" and "contractor to call" and bingo: Oh, the places you'll go.

Waiting for three cycles of the light to change on Causeway. Waiting three hours to get a new driver's license. Waiting to see who comes back and who moves away. Waiting to hear what our mayor will say next.

Waiting to feel better. Waiting to get worse. Waiting for a Better Break or Another Chance. Does that day ever come?

Yeah, you right. And waiting for the next hurricane.

Therein lies the rub. Even more than suffering from anniversary anxiety -- the cauldron of agony and memory that we are boiling in -- it seems like much of our communal psyche is caught up in the strange and fruitless wait for the next big storm to come our way to see how we handle it, physically, civically, emotionally.

It's like we want to know if we can take the hit and get back up again. It's like being a star quarterback or running back who gets injured and waits a whole season to play again and going into that first game thinking: Just get the first hit over with.

Like being a boxer stepping into a ring with a feared competitor. Just hit me and let's get on with this thing.

Let me get by Tuesday without succumbing to all the bad stuff that emanates from the newspaper, the radio, television and every conversation with every friend and family member.

Let me remember the good stuff: people reaching out, helping. People coming together.

I remember: 9/11 was on a Tuesday. On Wednesday, about midday, I turned off the TV and told my wife, "I don't ever want to watch those buildings fall down again for as long as I live."

And I have never seen them fall again. Not once. It's an image television has largely shielded us from, though I suspect in the coming weeks, that might change.

So sometimes I wonder how much I need to see and hear about last year, here.

Those people standing on rooftops with signs that say: "Help Us." Do you remember the horror of that first vision -- for most of us, from the relative comfort of a hotel room or the home of a far-flung family member -- and the dread that gripped you when you said: "My God, what is happening down there? This can't be happening."

It happened all right.

The whole damn city under water, rooftops peeking out like alligator heads all in a row. Thousands trapped in hell. The Convention Center. That dead woman in a wheelchair with a blanket thrown over her. Wal-Mart. The looters.

We're going to see all of it plenty on TV's endless loop of sorrow. And I guess we must tune in because we must never forget.

Then again, how could we? What a disgrace, the whole damn thing, and there are so many to blame but that seems beside the point now or, at least, not the main point anymore.

Our mayor keeps pointing fingers -- all this time later -- but everyone knows what went down and how it went down so, what the hell. What do we do now?

Just hit me.

Let's pick up the pieces still. Put it back together more. Let life ramble on in the new New Orleans, where everything is different and everyone is upside down in The Waiting Place.

My friend Jenni noticed that folks around here start conversations differently now. "Instead of asking 'Where did you go to school?' people ask, 'What medications are you taking?' "

Try that for an icebreaker with a stranger. The next time you're waiting in line.

pink_martini15 @ 2006-06-02T09:11:00

2006-06-02T14:11:33Z

The title of it is "No Place Like Home", and this is what it says...

Each day I miss the sunshine kiss
That always kept me there
So many things touched the heart strings
And filled each day with care

From bustling streets
To kids at play
To lovers holding hands

No other could touch
The warmth so much
As New Orleans a city so fair

From Community Coffee
to BluePlate Mayo
To Crayfish by the sack
To Daquaries and Creames
To the bands that sing
To the lights of City Park

There's no place like home somebody said
And you know that saying is true
For all I do is dream of you
And the life that I once knew.

pink_martini15 @ 2006-03-24T22:59:00

2006-03-25T04:59:47Z

Welcome Me

2006-02-02T00:11:04Z

So this is what a livejournal is, eh?? I suppose it will suffice since MYSPACE hates me right now.