My Dish on Dreaming Big and Eating Well

THE DREAM REVEALED


I told you that our friend is making good on a dream and we were there Saturday at the VIP party to celebrate with him.

CJ is his name and he is a good guy. We met in college, both of us waiting tables at a quirky place called Bombay Bicycle Club -- which wasn't at all like the name implied. (I'm not sure what the name implied.)

I was new to the "joys" of waitressing and he was kind to me, reminding me many times over the years not to sweat a bad tip or an ugly customer because "things always work out in the end." And don't they? That evil assistant manager who made made my life hell...she finally got booted. And once I started seeing the working conditions from CJ's point of view (great hours, good money) it was a pretty sweet gig, and I am glad I stuck with it.

Rumor has it CJ was forced to graduate or face a whole new catalog. So, despite a knockout-effort to keep those sweet college days alive, eventually, ten good years did amount to a Master's in Petroleum Engineering. That's the day job.


The dream was always to run a restaurant. And CJ was doing R&D before he even realized it, working both the front and the back of the house at various restaurants. I remember a project of several months that he initiated to cut food costs without affecting the customer experience or food quality (no college hours involved, folks.) While the rest of us were just "schlepping food," he was taking advantage of an opportunity, never afraid of getting rice under his nails.

So how could I not feel some sense of pride on Saturday at the kickoff party? I saw our little bird fly out into the real world and now he's all grown up. CJ's building the nest he always imagined and he's ready to see what he's made of....if all the planning was realistic, if his chops are ready, if his instinct will lead the way. I'm so rooting for him!

I feel strangely involved, knowing I was there when it was just an idea and nothing more. And now its four walls and a heartbeat. I am amazed by how developed the concept was in his mind all this time. The name, the menu, the food, even the pictures on the wall were all described to me years ago.

Did CJ revise it silently while doing the day job that made this possible? Did he rehearse the details in his mind everyday on his drive home? And where did the patience come from to work on a business plan for years, when he could have surely thrown his hat into the ring sooner?

The Dream is called The Far Seas Grill: casual food, exotic and familiar flavors (OK, so I made up the tag line to help convey the idea.) Its a fusion restaurant that serves up burritos, stuffed pitas, and "mixing bowls" with a little bit of everything. The flavors are inspired by TexMex, Asian, and Mediterranean cuisine and the house signature is a huge made-from-scratch egg roll, (his mom's recipe) assembled in full view as you meander along the counter-serve line. Heaven for a foodie like me, but there's something even the pickiest eater would enjoy. Great prices, too!

Of course CJ has some kinks to work out but even the corporate dynasties started somewhere. And don't you yearn to see the family-run places go up against the Starbuckses of the world and MAKE IT? Yah? Then I'm not afraid to ask you to give 'em a try.

And there's my dish on dreaming big and eating well!

The Far Seas Grill is opening this week in Katy, Texas (Barker Cypress exit.)

Who do I have to kill to get some Pseudoephedrine!?

'Way I'm feeling, don't think I won't use some of my aforementioned skills to get some juice to clear my nose. I actually dreamed I was at the drug store and the pharmacist was a slightly overweight black man in a police uniform admonishing me from behind the counter. I start hollering-up how "this crap over here doesn't work." He walks over, club in hand, and I'm about to be the victim of some social injustice. Then I wake up to a blistered tongue before I get beat down or get any PSE...(that's how you text it, by the way.)

I think the real injustice is that a nice, repectable suburban lady can't get the drugs she so needs in her time of desire. What, you say...Show my license?...Why would I ever volunteer that?...Do you think they keep some kind of database?...Of course I'm kidding...No, you're crazy!...Fine, I'm stupid, just give me what you have there...You know I'm good for it.

"You like me, you really like me"

Thank you for all the wonderful feedback. It seems a few of my already-favorite people think I have a way with biting social commentary. (Maybe its like when your mom tells you you're pretty, but who cares?) I'm no Frankie Can't Relax, but I got potentials to blow up a Winchells. Whatever, I'm no Ice Cube, neither.


I didn't watch the final debate. I feel ten pounds lighter. I have heard enough from everyone, especially the media. So pretty much everyone on TV, dagnammit! (Except for my favorite, home-town-girl, Domenique Sachse. More on our obsession with local journalists later.)


It's really late and this sinus infection is bearing down on me. I can feel where my skull ends and the soft tissue begins. I have a fun weekend ahead and I am willing the ugliness to go away.

THE DREAM

One of mine & MMA's college friends is finally realizing a dream. One that we used to talk about all those years ago over $2.50 pitchers at Dudley's. The unbridled possibility of following a passion and taking the riskier path, hearkens sweet memories of a time before mortgages and family responsibilities; when taking risks and getting in trouble involved the law. I am so excited for him. There's a kickoff party Saturday. I'll tell you more about The Dream soon.


BOOK THING

I was sent this book thing to participate in by some real bloggers.

So here are the rules for this Book Thingy.
1. Pass it on to five other bloggers with the rules.*
2. Open the nearest (not favorite or most intellectual) book to page 56.
3. Write out the fifth sentence on that page and the next 2-5 sentences.


The book is Stormy Weather by Carl Hiaasen and it was loaned to MMA by my BIL.

Ira Jackson found Lot 17 because of the bright yellow tape that police had roped around the remains of the double-wide mobile home where his mother, Beatrice, had died. After identifying her body at the morgue, Ira Jackson had driven directly to Suncoast Leisure Village to see for himself.

Not one trailer had made it through the storm.

From the debris, Ira Jackson pulled his mother's Craftmatic adjustable bed. The mattress was curled up like a giant taco shell.


(*I'm going to out myself and admit that I don't know 5 bloggers. I don't know if I have five readers.)

Happy Birthday Girly Stuff! And....a look back to our High School Years

She's sweet, she's smart, she's Girly and she's got really nice suff. By now you've seen how she can make Target bedding look like a million bucks (with a little help from Cottage Chick....) Let's face it, the Girl's got mad decorating skills. Her home is not only beautiful, its peaceful because she never raises her voice at her kids and always gives her husband the benefit of the doubt. Don't even start with her business savvy. I want to brag on her, but I know I shouldn't.

There are so many wonderful stories to tell that are meaninful examples of the kind of girl she really is. But I'll let her tell her stories and just share some of my recollections from the early days of our friendship.

In high school, where we first met, I wanted to be just like her. Good grades, perfect spiral perm/pouf, always put together (with help from her way put together momma...hey there Brenda. You're fabulous!) Remember Units? She was kickin' the Units outfits before anyone else and she had like 30 different combinations. She could have been Junior Miss Baybrook Mall if such a thing existed. I was jealous. So as not to player-hate, I made friends with her instead.

Everyone loved her. The girls, the boys, and especially the teachers loved GS because she was always polite and nice and never in an Eddie Haskell sort of way. And not in a pushover sort of way, either. Girls always fancy them self the Carrie Bradshaw of the group. She really is the Carrie Bradshaw and as you can imagine, I'm Samantha!!

But enough about me. Happy Birthday to a very special Girl. Happy Birthday, Girly Stuff. You look just like Hillary Duff, and not a day over 26.

You make my world a better place!

Love,
Cheapskate

Turning Tricks for Drugs and Food

With all the talk lately about tightening our belts and hunkering down for the economic storm, I wanted to share with you one of the ways Superstar is stretching a buck. Its what MMA and I jokingly refer to as "turning a trick." He is amazed at what I can bring home and to ease your mind, its not an STD!

Here's how it all started: about 2 months ago, Superstar crunched the numbers. I took a look at our bank statements, credit cards, and each and every bill that crossed our table to figure out where every penny of this household was going. As you can probably guess, there was a huge allotment for "discretionary spending." Too little was making its way into savings.

We etched out a budget and now know where every dollar belongs and how much we can spend in each category: entertainment, clothes, vacations, charity, etc. It's clean livin' folks, a reality check. Even better, it was a reminder of how blessed we are to have enough for everything we need to live, period.

But I am an ambitious girl, you see, and I wanted to take it up a notch. I thought I could do this by cutting down on our household expenses, in particular, the grocery budget. I started reading blogs and researching. What I found was a simple way to buy things on the cheap. Its a system of smart shopping that is all over the internet; I can't believe I didn't know about this before.

Here it is: I still shop for produce and meat at a traditional grocery store (HEB is my fave.) But I get most of my toiletries, cleaning supplies and drugs from Walgreens and CVS. The ladies-in-the-know who've been doing it for years make it sooo easy by doing the research of matching up the best deals each week with the coupons that are available (there's usually a link.) I can just print my list & coupons from home (and internet coupons are much more generous than what you'd find in the newspaper.) Then I go to the drug store and cherry-pick the sweet deals each week.

First I called it "working a deal." As in, "Honey, I'm going to Walgreens to work a deal " but I found that calling this new neurotic-little-game of mine "turning a trick" is so much more dramatic. And it is crafty and cunning to score a bunch of stuff and spend almost nothing. Saturday afternoon I spent $3.50 at Walgreens on some milk and a newspaper and came home with free Windex, Fantastic, Shout, Pledge wipes and Scrubbing Bubbles.

I was so excited! MMA was less so, until I told him how much this stuff usually costs. Then we went out to eat with the money left over from our grocery budget. (We earned some frivolity right?)

And yes, its a few extra steps, but in my particular situation I can find the time and I enjoy the hunt and kill. I eliminate the most expensive items from my grocery bill and stock up when things are on sale. And just so you know, the neighborhood kids won't be egging my house because Cheapskate gave out some crappy candy corns for Halloween. I'm already loaded down with the good stuff which I picked up for $1 bag.

Let me tell you about my free Diamatapp and Robitussin score from Walgreens. In my house we ALL suffer from allergies and I got this stuff better than free, its what's called a "money-maker" on the blogs because I spent $1 OOP (out of pocket) for each box, then I got a $10 register reward for purchasing 3 boxes. (RRs are vouchers that print up at the register and can be used to purchase anything else in the store.) So that day, for $3 OOP I got the cough syrup plus a $10 credit to buy anything else in the store. Not money in my purse, but...

The savviest shoppers know which items generate RR, so they can just keep rolling one deal into the next without spending more OOP. Some of them even brag about making a profit, which indeed they do after sending in for various rebates. Now, I've got to draw the line somewhere and set a value on my time, so I'm not turning tricks for money. As today's title implies, I'm just satisfied to come home with nearly free stuff that we will ACTUALLY USE.

Last week I scored my brand of razors for $4 pkg (regularly $8-10) and then got RR of $4 for each pack...almost free. This week I used that credit to stock up on soap, toothpaste, the candy I mentioned and a bunch of Gatorade for MMA. I spent no money out of pocket and left the store with $5 of RR towards next weeks bounty. I'm getting better at it and its taking much less time than it did the first month.

Honest and fair disclosure here: if you're baggin' a real pay check, this will probably pay less per hour. In 2 months, I haven't yet cut my grocery bill by 40% which was my original goal. But I did stay in budget even during those bad weeks after Ike when I lost everything in my fridge and had to start over. I've also been stock-piling like crazy; limited storage space dictates that must stop. Ongoing, it will work if I can limit myself to one drug store trip per week and do more attentive grocery shopping. (And, forget about it if you can't slip away from your kids and husband to shop alone. I think you know why.)

So there it is. Turning a trick for Drugs and Food. Perfectly legal and my husband approves.

I want to give a shout out to Money Saving Mom, Crystal Paine, who is quite the little internet titan. Her blog has a plethora of information about everything I've discussed today. She's also the author of another blog I enjoy reading called Biblical Womanhood.

LOVE Her!

Meet MMA

Last night MMA took charge, like the man that he is, and rocked out a big decision for us: who would be replacing the roof Hurricane Ike knocked off our house. This particular repair has been wearing on us both, but mostly him, because we have internal damages that can't be fixed until the roof is secure.

Now, when it comes to making important decisions, especially for big purchases, I get all indecisive and agonize over it for as long as he will let me. He is type A, pragmatic and ready to move forward. The fact that roof prices have almost doubled in our area is of no consequence to him because "we need a roof and it costs what it costs."

I think its time I formally introduce MMA to you girlfriends, from my point of view. After all, he's such a major influence in the delicious chaos that is Superstar. We met in college at Texas A&M University when I was still technically a teenager. We've grown up together and come a long way, doncha' think?

MMA got the nickname because he loves the sport of mixed martial arts. He's been following it for a couple of years as a spectator, then decided to switch from boxing in our garage gym (which is totally decked out) to taking classes and sparring at Elite Martial Arts.

My Manly Athlete has a day job, but would like nothing better than to make a living as a professional athlete. Not for the fame and fortune but because he's got the heart of a champion. He loves the hurt of a good workout. In fact, he makes grueling workouts look so easy, I wonder if it hurts him like it does the rest of us. He's in the best shape of anyone I know. Sound too cool for me, yet?

Then there's this whole Freudian thing I've realized over the years. I married my dad...a guy just like dear old dad. On first impression, he seems all serious and tense. He's a man of few words and doesn't favor small talk. But those who know him see a lighter side, a juvenile playful side, a terse sense of humor. Most strikingly like dad, MMA is a family man, a hard worker and a good provider. There are some differences of course, but then dad and MMA had vastly different childhood experiences.

Also worth mentioning, MMA has great genes. My brother's wife commented to me at my wedding shower how good-looking all of his family is. Its true. I knew we would have beautiful children, but what I didn't know is that his genes would so overpower mine as to edge them out in Only Child (Exhibit A.)

Three random things I love about MMA:

1. He enjoys almost every meal I put in front of him (or makes me think he does.)
2. His shaved bald head.
3. He loves his Mom. It's a simple thing that says volumes about a man and how he was raised.

Last Political Post for a while

I am cynical enough as it is and I think I would turn into a shriveled old prune if I was forever talking about politics, but I can't stop. Just when I thought I could move on, there was another debate last night. Its like a pulsating pimple and I can't leave it alone.

Oh the mud-slinging and the ambiguous diatribe, I want in! And I will play devil's advocate on both sides.

Sure, the candidates have noble ideas, but let's talk implementation. After all, there is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. We are the wellspring and each program, mandate, entitlement, surge, foreign policy, bailout or whatever that I hear about makes my butt cheeks clench. Here's an idea straight from Middle America, create a budget and stick to it!

I'm hoping my concerns are way off-base so I can sleep at night knowing that the best minds in Washington have it under control and there will, in fact, be social security for my golden years.

So here are some questions burning in my mind this morning:

In regard to bailing out the mortgage industry, does the buck really stop with the American tax-payers? What happened to private mortgage insurance, did that industry not assume some of this risk?

Are we really going to buy up people's bad mortgages and renegotiate so people can stay in homes they cannot afford? And if so, how can I get that deal...I'm tired of being a first class SUCKER with good credit.

Why is there such a thing as an interest-only loan? What purpose does this serve except to allow the homeowner to assume all the risk of owning a property, but never own the property. The first time I heard the concept of an interest only loan, I was flabbergasted. "How is that a good deal? You mean, you never pay toward the principal? How is that different than renting?" I was so pure back then. But digress...

How will this plan of forcing insurance companies to cover preexisting conditions work? How can you force companies to take on a risk that is not profitable and stay in business? By creating a new government entity to back up any losses, that's how. Obama's website is calling it "reinsurance." Guess who pays the premium on reinsurance PLUS numerous layers of administrative cost?

In regard to a proposal that would mandate that small businesses must provide insurance for their workers...How many small businesses will you crush with this one blow? Can we really afford to diminish our tax base right now? Besides, there are so many ways around this like hiring part-time or independent contractors or sending jobs overseas or cutting jobs altogether.

Let's talk about this 250K line in the sand that has been drawn to classify the wealthy from the middle class. To clarify, Superstar falls well within the definition of "middle class" but can reasonably hope to achieve wealth by this definition in great country such as ours. But why struggle if this immediately puts me in a club I don't want to be a part of?

Also, let's not forget about the difference between "wealth" and "income." You see, an income of 250K doesn't tell the whole story if you are burdened with small business loans, graduate school loans and you fall into a higher tax bracket. Just as an income of $100K doesn't either, if your home is worth 1.5M and you have significant assets overseas that are untaxed. Net worth, not income, is the more important factor; sorry homeowners.

We need small business to be profitable and NOT eliminate the incentives for our best workers. It is the very income from the sweat of their brow that keeps our economy moving. Can I get an Amen? And I know trickle-down theory is scoffed at these day, but I like "trickle" better than "pour."

One last point, I would be remiss if I overlooked some of the comments made by Sarah Palin over the weekend after singing her praises. Sarah, quit with the "paling around with terrorist" comments already and just say what you want to say. Let me say it for you (and if you would like to clarify, please honor me with a guest post.)

Don't you mean, "C'mon America, are we really going to elect a half-Muslim when we're in a war against terrorism? Who is the real Obama?"

Oh ya, the gloves are off.