I am actually writing this while sitting in the chiropractor’s office waiting for a massage. I simply cannot bare the pain anymore.

My foot hurts from the fall last week, my hands hurt from this darn rain and my head hurts from cleaning up the drywall dust. You couldn’t see the dust until I took a picture. Oh yeah, and went to make dinner, sit on the couch or anything else that involved a surface area.

So, I spent a lot of time over the last couple of days cleaning the mess up (which will take months I fear) and my head is hurting worse and worse. The first thing the chiropractor said is “were you wearing a mask”? Uh Oh! Good thing that I bought them to just sit on the shelf.

So now, I feel like a drinker…”If you can make me feel better, I promise to never forget again!”

The only thing that made it a wordless Wednesday is the fact that I wasn’t able to get on long enough to post this! This is a picture from my last trip. Wow! It doesn’t feel like we are going that fast until I try to take a picture.

I want to make this a game. If you can guess where I am and what I am taking a picture of, I would love to give you a free buddy pass *(see details). I will keep it going until Friday (midnight) where I will use random.org to pick who gets the pass.

Who knows, you could be heading across the big ocean in Business class before you know it!

Yesterday, @winemedineme  and I went to lunch at Wild Flower up in Mason. I am not going to lie, if you are coming from downtown Cincinnati it’s a drive. Be prepared. Oh yeah, is there a different exit than Mason/Montgomery exit? Whoa! Who came up with that set up? Madness!

Anyway, I digress.

As we drove down Mason-Montgomery Road, I reminiced about going to pick up the step-kids except this area has seriously built up. If you need it, it’s there. All very commercializes with every chain restaurant in existence in a few mile strip as well as some I have never heard of. Once you get a little further toward Main street though it starts to become a bit more quaint. What a cute area as you actually turn right on to Main street. Business run out of renovated old houses just like the one holding this hidden gem called Wild Fire.

Tables set in different rooms of the “house” and a more commercial kitchen where I imagine the original kitchen being held. My friend ordered an ice tea so I decided to veer from my usual boring water and give it a try. Nice choice. No sugar needed since it has a nice flavor and is smooth. The cup that it is served in is plastic made from 100% plant material. So far, so good for an organic place. After some discussion, I ordered the Salad Trio located on the appetizer section and was pleasantly surprised. Curried chicken salad, Minted cucumber salad, hummus, fresh fruit and crackers.

The curried chicken salad had a nice balance of spiced curry with sweet, raisins and tender chicken. The cucumber salad I thought was a nice surprise since I wasn’t sure about the combination. Nice and light, well paired flavors. I really enjoyed the hummus as well. It had a nice creamy texture and mild flavor. The salads are accompanied by the most flavorful pleasantly red colored strawberries I have seen in quite a while and the grapes were firm and sweet. I also especially enjoyed the butterfly shaped crackers that added a sweet tough.

Thanks Julie for the awesome suggestion. I will most definitely spread the word.

What’s with all of the rain? I have to admit that I’ll take New York City delays any day over even a cloud in the sky at ATL. Sorry Georgia, but you know it’s true.

More seriously, let’s keep the residents of Atlanta center in your thoughts and prayers. Rain has taken over and according to the weather reports, it has been raining for 9 days. Two women have died so far. One caught inside her car caught in the flood and another woman trying to help someone else trapped.

So far delays at the airport are not as bad as I would have expected only running about 57 minutes for incoming (as of 2:11pm) and 15-30 minutes out of the gate. This sounds about normal to me so for those of you traveling through the Atlanta area today, hang tight and don’t panic. Most of all, PLEASE do not bug your flight attendant about it because they know about as much as you do!

According to the FAA delay site, there is a ground hold at the Atlanta Hartsfield International airport. This also happens frequently and simply means that the airport is closed, or on “hold”, until weather improves and is safe enough for air travel.  

Like I tell my passengers (if they are driving me crazy), “If you are thirsty or hurt please let me know and I prefer the former”.

Dear twitter, 

I thought is was just my tweetdeck however, I think that it’s just twitter in general. Hey, twitter! WTF is wrong with you? I would love to think that it’s just my computer but I am only having trouble with you! I really want to be able to talk to my friends all over the country spontaneously but this is really pissing me off. Please get it together and either get back to me on why this is happening or just fix it! 

Truly yours (when this is fixed),

Christina in Ohio

Bootsies 

I have walked past the place more than once but have never eaten there until today. A friends blog winemedinemecincinnati.com suggested it as part of Jeff Ruby’s promotion. Spend just $15 and get a $50 gift certificate to Jeff Ruby’s namesake restaurant. OK, twist my arm.

We parked around the corner and walked down the alley in between Trattoria’s and Nicholson’s on our way to the restaurant with the bright yellow umbrellas beckoning from above. Using space efficiently, there is one restaurant downstairs another upstairs (Bootsie’s) and yet another next door physically attached (Nicholson’s).

We walked up the stairs, not that easy for someone with a sprained ankle, where we were met with bright yet warm colors, prints of musical celebrities and a lighted bar. Off to the right you’ll find the outdoor seating and straight ahead is a seriously cool bar that is lit up and apparently children friendly during daylight hours, with a little boy struggling to sit still on one of the bar chairs. The seating desk is set off to the right behind the bar where we were asked our preference of dining. While we waiting I looked around. Spanish mosaic tiles and painted doors, colored glass globes hanging from all over, lots of reds, rusts and browns, definitely bright without being overwhelming. Typical colors of the more Latin cultures. Latin music. Sounded a bit like the Gypsy Kings. I couldn’t help but dance a little in place.

We chose inside for our first visit. Lots of fun but extremely loud, I think that I would like to try the outdoor seating next time. The first thing that I see as we are walked in to the dining area is a large jar of jelly beans and the different styles of seating. There are two different bar areas that you can be seated at. One is the sushi bar (you can watch the presentation of plating and the sushi being made here) and another one looking over the kitchen area. Booths up away from the hustle and more tables using marble as their surface. Lots of graphic patters like the one above us with it’s colors and patterns. There is a lot going on and I have yet to decide if it works or if it’s too much. I think that I will need another visit!

We sat at a marble table, which actually looked out at the kitchen, clad in red tile, as well as the heating table, kept company by gold mermaids holding the trays that would deliver the food if not served by hand. Here, I had the opportunity to watch all that was going on. If you would prefer something more away from the food preparation, you may like one of the booths. For me, this was really exciting. Something I found particularly interesting is watching the plates of food being inspected for perfection prior to being placed onto the heating area for delivery.

The service is outstanding and you don’t have to wait on just one person for everything. Who ever was available if your server was not (this included the manager) was there to take care of your every need. I wonder if it was the same outside? Our service was an adorable girl named Gina who was very much perfect for the position. She actually had an 8 top table next to us and I noticed when she delivered the checks (they all got separate ones!), she did not even need to ask who’s was who’s. I could never remember all of that. Perhaps, she doesn’t have mommy brain. Or, perhaps she is just that good.

Now, in regards to the food. I ordered the duck tacos and my husband the Bento Box. The Miso soup that came first was seasoned well and was nice and hot. The rest of the food came rather quickly, which is great for a lunch crowd. Presentation was also good. My dish came with three tacos and chips. It didn’t look like that much food until I was almost finished with the third taco and didn’t have any room left over for desert. The flavor and textures were amazing. Not gamy and well seasoned. The lettuce was laid in first with the shredded duck next and then a mix of sweet onion, tomato and fresh cilantro. The slight tang from the lime juice combined the flavors well and the different textures I found pleasing.

The Bento Box is really neat and well, really comes in a box. Separated in to sections, one had steamed rice, one 4 pieces of sushi, pickled ginger, wasabi and your choice of shrimp tempura, terriaki steak or a third choice of some kind of chicken. My husband chose the steak and said it was really good but may be a little heavily flavored. Otherwise, everything in his entree was cooked nicely.

Although supposedly Spanish (?), the menu offered Japanese and Cuban food, soups, salads, sandwiches, meats and pasta. There really is a little bit of everything for each taste without being too much. Between that and the welcoming feel of the place, I will definitely be returning.

Thanks Julie for the post and thanks Gina for the outstanding service!

Juices & Smoothies Galore

by Susannah Blake

The cover is really bright and eye catching.

Not just another juicing book, Blake includes ‘essential equipment‘, ‘useful kitchen basics’, ‘ingredients’, ‘perfect juicing & blending’ and a nutritional charts.

I knew to eat carrots for eye sight from the vitamin A content but did you know that they contain 28139 iu of vitamin A? Or, that one artichoke (globe) 3.2g protein and 5.4 dietary fiber?

An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away. (First found as a Welsh folk proverb (1866))

No wonder with its ability to remove toxins from your body. So it tumeric. I knew I bought that for a reason! Excuse me while I go take some…

I like the way that there’s an intro to each recipe that explains the combination and nutritional benefits.

This is definitely not your ordinary smoothie book either! Under breakfast blends, there’s everything from a creamy date (tastes like chocolate) & Espresso smoothie to wake you up, Parsley Perks to help clear sinuses and congestion and a fresh made for scratch Bloody Mary to cure a hang over.

Update: I just tried the Date & Espresso Smoothie and it was very tasty!

What happens in a day in the life of a flight attendant?

Well, this morning my husband dropped me off at work (this is called Princess Parking!), I walked through the turnstile (also know as the people shredder and if you’ve ever tried to get through one with any luggage, you would know why) and off to where I check in (this is classified but I can tell you that it includes walking, a train, a people mover, some stairs and door codes, more walking and some more codes).

Now that I know you are really excited, there is some more walking. I can never figure out why so many flight attendants are on the chunky side with all of this activity. I guarantee you it’s the constant junk food that we are forced to stuff in our mouths as quickly as possible during the few seconds before or after the passengers are boarded or while walking to the next aircraft. Of course, I have learned to bring my own food. I have red pepper humus, Montgomery Inn pulled pork, Laughing Cow cheese and some gluten-free bread I made last night among other things. Of course, I did see that McDonald’s has a new Big Mac wrap if that’s your thing. *frowning*

I did have a really good flight from Cincinnati to NYC. I have a great flight crew that I am working with and the passengers were a lot of fun and very diverse, my favorite. Two particularly nice people were two young ladies from Germany. So sweet when they walked on the plane, telling me hello like they were actually happy to be there. I love that. Next, we are off to Chicago. Too bad I’m not there long enough to go into the city.

One thing that I do love about my job is that I consider myself PR for the company (lucky for them, I love my job and avoid the negative stuff), I would love to be able to speak 6 different language (now, I speak bits and pieces of 6 different languages), and I would love to have the room to have parties (now, I have guests a day that I get to cater to). I love staying in hotels, flying on aircraft and traveling all over so what a great job for me!

I don’t get paid a lot and it’s not always easy but last month, I got to go to Italy! I certainly cannot complain. Right now, I am sitting at Kennedy waiting for a late aircraft, which gives me time to sit and write this so again, I can’t complain.

Last week, I went to my first Beer & Ballet night at the Cincinnati Ballet.

Each week the Cincinnati Ballet will hold a special more intimate opportunity to see a glimpse into the upcoming production. Starting tonight last night, Thursday, September 10^th, New Works is a production of local choreographers and musicians debuting their current work here. Also a special return by Italian choreographer Luca Veggetti. This program runs through September 20^th.

I wasn’t sure what to expect and surprised in more than one way. Reservations are recommended but not required. Considering that the event was sold out, I highly suggest making a reservation. Your name will be on a list as you come into the building where you are given a ticket to go up stairs and watch a preview of the upcoming show. Get there early for a good seat although I didn’t see anywhere that would be a problem.

After the “rough draft” of what you will be viewing, you have the option of sticking around to watch the instructor critique each move. While you and I see possible perfection, this particular audience only see what should be. It’s an amazing creative process and the dancers seem only eager to get it right.

After the performance, catered appetizers along with beer, wine, soda and bottled water are available complimentary to enjoy while mingling with other ballet friends. Once the dancers have finished and changed, they join the gathering for a chance to meet everyone. I had the opportunity to talk to Heather, one of the instructors and a few of the dancers. Not only talented on the stage I thought that the dancers were kind and professional, not at all pretentious. Another surprise was to see a Mom with her baby and other small children. Next month, I will surely bring my own son.

The entire evening was new for me. I have been to the ballet before, I have loved the ballet for years. And, thanks to movies like Center Stage and books from such as the American Ballet Theatre in NYC, I know a bit more about the ballet that some. What one sees in front of their own eyes though cannot compare with such things. When you watch the dancers out of formal costume in this venue, you can physically see the strength, the power and the feeling behind each move. Behind each note. Knowing the steps is not enough. Feeling each beat of the music, each pause of every frame makes a great dancer and a perfect ballet.