Stella's Roar. Hedonism: A devotion to the pleasures of the senses.

Read more here.

Thoughts?

'When all is said and done, killing my mother came easily' ...the first line of the book.

Yesterday, my Master Gardener Class was all about Etymology and Insecticides...which I've decided are very harmful, no matter the content or benign lingo. If you have to dress up in a HazMat suit to spray your garden...that should be a big clue that it might not be the best option. You're just spraying more chemicals in the air...killing randomly...beneficial bugs and the harmful. Although, I'm sure the little bug's family's don't think they're harmful...just bringing home the bacon.


After the mind-numbing class...it's held in a concrete block room with no windows and no A/C system...I'm a sweaty exhausted mess. Have I complained about this before? I can't go outside for lunch to commune with nature, because nature is buzzing with mosquitos. 8 hours of looking at these 50 year old draperies...design truly does come full circle, doesn't it?


Suzani-esque


So...after learning about the glories of bugs in class all day, I went to Happy Hour with a friend, had a couple of Manhattans, drove home, pulled into the drive leading to my house, stopped, stared coolly and then accelerated over a giant tarantula! I told you there is no need for insecticides! Large cars will do just fine.

I went to a great cooking class the other night with my friend, Danielle. It was taught by

Chef Johnny Vee

...he of the twinkling blue eyes and good nature.


The class was held at

Las Cosas Kitchen Shoppe in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The original location is in Sante Fe.

We all dutifully sat down, I looked over our recipes and then noticed cooking stations set up. Ugh...I didn't want to cook and apparently my no-cooking vibe was being felt by the chef.

Me..."I didn't realize WE had to actually cook! I'd rather watch YOU cook".

grumble, grumble

Johnny and I bonded over a mutual love for the movie Being There...

"I like to watch" the infamous line...so I gave in...and we signed up for the Fennel Au Gratin



Me..."Where's the wine?!"

We all made:

Tomato Basil Soup with Croutons and Parmesan

Cheese and Jalapeno Cornbread

Green Chile Chicken Stew with Bisquits

Pork Milanese


Eggplant Adovado (amazing!)



and Fennel Au Gratin



Not only did the night turn out to be more fun than I expected, I also learned about

Vital Choice Wild Seafood and Organics (good seafood around here is non-existent and this site will ship to your door) and

Los Chileros de Nuevo Mexico a great site to order chiles.

My posting may be sporadic in the next couple of weeks...I have a lot on my plate and it isn't Fennel Au Gratin, unfortunately.

Tall glass...fill with ice...fill half with Tuaca the rest with Coke Zero, add Lemon to taste and two Luxardo cherries if you have a sweet tooth...Yum! Lock the gate so the pool boy can't mess up your fun.

This post has no rhyme or reason

I use all of these products religiously...The Main Man uses some of them...I won't tell you which ones though. I'm obviously not getting paid by any of these companies to endorse any of these products. That question is always embarrassing to me. I get asked quite often why I blog...fuck, I don't know. I don't get much financially from it. I've never been sent a box of anything from anyone. It started as a kind of a design inspiration board/keep in touch with family and friends/spread some useful information about inconsequential things/fill some time as I wasn't working much...just volunteering for everything anyone asked me to volunteer. I wanted to end that last sentence with a "for", but I do know that isn't correct grammar. There are grammar police out there...there within the internet realm. I'm rambling. On to stuff...

I was one of the lucky ones...I never broke out as a teenager. When I hit my 30's, it all changed. Not as bad as some, but an occasional breakout here and there. Proactiv is a miracle. I only use these two products. I think Astringent/Toner is bullshit...just a way to get you to spend more money on all of these "three step" programs to clear skin. Click on the first Proactiv product to be zipped to their site.

I don't use the little metallic headed instrument thingy...I reserve that for my gong.

Palmer's makes you smell incredible...like fresh baked goods and cocoa butter...and it's very emollient. I think it's a sex magnet.

Smooths and straightens my naturally forming dreads...I just use a dime size amount on the bottom half of my hair...then it blow dries straight and smooth.

I've been using this my whole life. My Mother uses it too...it's been around for ages. AGES, I tell you! I mainly use it on my lips, but I've been known to use it on my face, elbows, heels, and cuticles in the Winter. No lie...I've had the same tube for 10 years and I use it everyday. Somehow, it just miraculously regenerates.

Another fabulous outcome of reaching my 30's...shiny face. It's continued into my 40's. Actually, it got worse after we moved to the desert. It's like my skin is trying to make up for the no humidity.

I hate powder...nothing was working, so I asked fellow blogger The Secret Beauty Blogger what she would suggest...I owe her a zillion thanks. She knows her stuff!

This Clinique concealer isn't in the picture. I've been using it since I first stared wearing makeup. It will cover/conceal/hide almost anything. And, it lasts forever.

Every morning I must maneuver around Stella...she is too fucking fat. We both need to lose
10 lbs. She really needs to lose 10 lbs.

She is supposed to look like the lithe whippet above...without the dick obviously. I think Stella's developing a panniculus. If you want to go on a starvation diet forever in fear of developing a panniculus...go here.