Separated At Birth!

Sheena and Courtney Love. Courtesy of Perezhilton.com

Cool Blog Post

Discovered via Hugh McLeod's twitter feed this morning.
Very much describes Sheena's headspace these days.

http://chartreuse.wordpress.com/2008/04/22/the-art-of-heresy-or-how-to-thrive-under-the-benelovent-rulership-of-king-gabe-rivera/

Happy SheenadaDay Weekend!!!!

Ah... a mere 41 years since the tragic decapitation death of the stunning Jayne Mansfield. As the pretty blonde head rolled down the highway, surely her soul escaped and lodged itself firmly somewhere in the heart of a newly fledged Jungle Queen.

Niagara Wine Country Taste Fest planned for the day. Highlights and pics to follow later.

Retarded Jernalist R Us

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,373341,00.html

A boy visiting Six Flags Over Georgia in Austell with a church group was decapitated Saturday after he tried to grab someone's foot while on the Batman ride, MyFOXAtlanta.com reported. The incident happened shortly after 2 p.m. when a group of the boys jumped a fence and entered an area that was marked off limits, the station reported. Investigators did not release the boy's name, age or the church group he was traveling with. It isn't clear whether the boy died at the scene or was alive for a time after the incident.

The bolding is Sheena's.

I T Y S #1

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/24/business/exurbs.php

Some proclaim the unfolding demise of suburbia.
"Many low-density suburbs and McMansion subdivisions, including some that are lovely and affluent today, may become what inner cities became in the 1960s and '70s - slums characterized by poverty, crime and decay," said Christopher Leinberger, an urban land use expert, in a recent essay in the Atlantic Monthly.

Thanks Madame Z.... Scary as shit.

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200803/subprime/3

Vin Volant

Discovered what the Wall Street journal referred to as "a suave chain of wine bars with first-rate food...to help the buffeted traveler endure aviation hell". That might be pushing it just a tad.. but yes. Dammit, Sheena liked Vino Volo. Found it connecting thru PHL earlier this month.

Per my usual habit, started with the local specialities. I feel compelled to. Sheena's rammed more VQA Canadian wine down unsuspecting visitors throats than has probably been appreciated, so I am obliged to test the local plonk no matter where I am.

So began with a white flight (no.. not a political commentary on Philadelphia... git over yourselves) that included a Buck's County Viognier from Crossing Vineyards, a Lehigh County Vignoles (never heard of that one before) from Blue Mountain and a Chaddsford Delaware County Pinot Grigio. They all pretty much sucked, but were OK in an early 1990s Niagara kind of sweetish bland style. Another 10 years and might be worth a revisit.

Lovely local charcuterie plate. But what's with the red cabbage fixation. Had to pick it away so it wouldn't ruin the otherwise delicate smokey/salty edge of the meats.

Sheena has become a big fan of the warm citrusy garlicky olive plate. Very similar to what has become a regular snack at Hannah's Tapas Bar out here in Farmsville.

I repeat myself, Fuck Off Red Cabbage. You belong in a salad, not beside delicate creamy treasures. Stay with your own kind.

Next up was the Rosé flight. Spanish Rosado from Pirineos, an Argentinian Malbec rosé, Crios de Susana Balbo, rounded out by the French Negrette from Chateau Bellevue La Foret.

Overall winner the Malbec Rose. Tasting notes were pretty good... Cranberry & White Pepper. Stay tuned for Round 2.

Go Turkey!

Sheena's decided to pick for Turkey in the Euro Cup '08. Why the hell not. Hope Swiss Air is still giving out those lovely free Swiss chocolate soccer balls on every flight. I think the final is next weekend, but my next flight with them on July 15.

Praying for leftovers...

Wow.... He's Right.

In Other Shocking Science News, Water is Wet

Internet Addiction a Clinical Disorder

He said: "The relationship is with the computer. It becomes a significant other to them. They exhaust emotions that they could experience in the real world on the computer through any number of mechanisms: emailing, gaming, porn."

He added: "It's much more acceptable for kids to talk about game use, whereas adults keep it a secret. Rather than having sex, or arguing with their wife or husband, or feeding their children, these adults are playing games."

... or blogging?

From behind the garage - updated

Sheena was pretty sure these belonged to the neighbours, but now that I see the 2 storey high bush all wild and sprawling, I wonder if they're mine because the rest of their yard is pretty orderly. And these are most not so...

OK... more from the Courtyard of the Jungle Queen.

In Which Sheena Shakes Her Fist and Lovingly Curses the TSA

Nobody lurves Sheena better than the Cheek.

Konservative Kampaign Kommercial

Sheena detests political bloggers who fail to see the absurdity and irrelevance of their subjects, but she cannot resist a hat tip to the entirely inappropriate and generally rude and foul mouthed Canadian Cynic

Welcome to the Canadian general election.

Belated Fredericton Fun Fest

In Fredericton a couple of weeks back. Managed to squeeze in an evening @ Wilser's Room for some non scheduled enjoyment and happily accepted an invitation from a mysterious acquaintance Sheena had met once in Toronto. What ensued was a lovely hop through the bitter business of Maritime microbrews. But within a few sips, anything that aled Sheena had been forgotten, and the troubles paled... "Porter", Sheena shouted, "Carry me home"... before the conversation turned dark, and Sheena and her blonde friend ended up at lagerheads...


God Bless Picaroons

Wine 2.0

Courtesy of Big Red Diary

Burgundy futures as a tag cloud.

Update: Follow up post at Big Red Diary with link to the application that built out the word cloud. Have your own fun...

Ozone Alert in Boston

Todd? Hello? Come on back, guy! Eaten there lately?

Had the Lobster BLT at Ozone Boston Logan this week. Adequate. If it would have been half the price. Mebbe. $16 for some pretty medicore (though crispy enough) fries, 1/2 cup of lobster salad, couple slices of bacon and clearly lethargic and depressed lettuce and tomato token gesture. On "Texas Toast".

But the real entertainment was the staff. 50% Bawston attitude filled whipper snappers in their day mixed in with what Sheena believed to be honestly illiterate wait staff. Almost every single order was mixed up, delivered cold after a 10 minute search for the right seat - that's right.. not table, but bar seat number. Sheena's emotions ranged from amused to ewww ick, like she's not really getting this at all, eh?

The big burly North Carolinian beside me overheard the Spanish half of the staff yelling at each other, turned to me and said "I feel like I'm south of the border here..."

Sheena looked at him, blinked with her baby blues and said "I *am* south of the border here..."

Baking Chez Sheena

Now, gentle readers, Sheena makes no bones about being a gracious hostess, fabulous cook, impeccable sommelier. But. And there's always a big but (h/t PeeWee Herman). She fails in the womanly skills of doughy baking. A select few of my followers have been subjected to the utter disaster that has been my pie crust. Thankfully flopped and tough enough to be use as Viking repellant so many years ago.

But then Sheena's Ma came to visit and offered to make one of her specialties for breakfast. A flaky tender biscuit inspired by the staple made every morning hot in the wood stove by my Cape Breton Gramma. With just butter or jellies or jams, cheese, whatever, a lovely warm breakfast snack.

"Sheena, where's your rolling pin".

"My what"?

"Rolling pin".

"I dunno, in the drawer I suppose"

"Nope"

And then it dawned on me. Maybe I didn't actually *Have* a rolling pin. Any more. That is. There is a vague recollection of one lodged firmly in the skull of an ex who didn't leave the seat down, but that was years ago....

So being Sheena's Ma, and all, she made do.

In Response to Cheek

Now THIS is a world wine tour....

Belated Rome window shopping pic. I have visions of my next house in my head.

Pissy Mood Ce Soir

Came home after 3 days in Ottawa to an open fridge door. Mercifully Sheena was already down to bare essentials, so the most costly item to be chucked out was an unopened tube of herbed goat cheese and an opened package of real Mennonite farmer pepperoni sticks.

Thank god the Vodka was in the freezer, else I'd be inconsolable.