Return of the Ninja...to Costco

A typical Costco outing; I went with a list and sub-combed to an impulse buy, the Ninja blender. Yes! I wanted fresh juice and healthy smoothies! Oh, yes, I wanted to crush ice and make frozen blended coffee! The TV ads played in my brain and I excitedly plunked that Ninja right into my cart.
See the lovely smiling lady in the picture on the left? After she drinks her delicious strawberry smoothie, that smile will be wiped from her Ninja face. She will turn red and start cursing. The TV ads neglected to tell her two things.  First, while the motor does what's advertised, the sound level is akin to having a jet take-off in your kitchen. Extremely high pitched and annoying. Second,when the blender is empty, taking off the top is a struggle, even a Ninja warrior will have trouble.
Because I'm lazy and because I really enjoy a frozen blended almond milk-agave-decaf coffee, I was willing to put up with the inconvenience and sound effects.
After about a month, when I no longer had the receipt or the box, I could not remove the lid. I called in the big guns (my husband's biceps) and after giving it a go, the lid snapped in two, leaving half of it on the blender. Aaaargh! Now the blender is useless. This was not just a couple bucks, this was about $200.
Friends told me I should return it to Costco. Oh, sure, sans receipt, sans box? But okay, I decided to try. I put all the parts into two shopping bags and trudged back to Costco, dreading the line and ready for a war. Well, the Ninja may have been disappointing, but the clerk at Costco cheerfully took my return. Wow, a company that stands behind the products they sell! Thank-you Costco!

The World's Longest Flight, 19 hours to...

Does 19 hours in the sky sound scarier than snakes on a plane? No worries, if you’re on Singapore Airlines Flight 21, from Newark, NJ to Singapore, it's not daunting, it's fun! The all-business class flight has just 100 passengers on board. Prepare to be pampered. Seats convert into beds and a personal entertainment center has hundreds of movies, games and applications.
The seating is a 1-2-1 configuration. I settled in to the solo seat against the window, it was like having my own little nest with everything I needed an arms length away. Pillow? Check. Power port? Check. Headphones? Whoa, check it out! The headphones were an ultra comfy noise cancellation model, not the standard ear buds that fall out and need constant adjustment. My “Singapore Girl,” er, flight attendant, greeted me with champagne, newspapers, magazines and menus for my “after take-off drink" and dinner. I settled on a lovely chardonnay from Napa and intently studied the choices for dinner. Strange blue smurf-like slippers are handed out and I'm glad I brought my own bamboo slipper-socks since the smurfy ones had a very synthetic feel to them.

After take-off, I enjoyed my wine and read the NY Times, but I had work to do (write this article) so begrudgingly, I take out my laptop, plug it into my personal power port and start my journal. Behind me I hear the clinking of dishes signaling me that the meal service had begun, allowing me to procrastinate. I tucked my laptop away and my tray is covered with a white linen cloth. A lovely first course of nicoise salad and scallops is set before me. Several choices are offered for the main course and I picked Braised Duck Confit with sauteed mushrooms and eggplant.

Have I really been on the plane for two hours? This is cake! Well, actually, it’s ice cream. A bowl of chocolate truffle ice cream is presented and I accept, deluding myself into believing that calories consumed in the air don’t count.
Time to pick a movie. There are 151 choices including new releases, classics and stage performances from all over the world. There are 180 TV shows, 80 games, 20 applications (learn a new language or study a city map), 779 CDs and 22 radio stations. I chose “Toast,” a quirky English film, and afterwards decided convert my seat into a bed. It's very comfortable, but sleep is just not happening. The cheese and fruit cart rolls by, followed by a selection of chocolates. I prop myself up in “bed” and watch “What Ever Happened to the Morgans?” and it surprises me that its not half bad.
I check the handset, 11 hours and 17 minutes to go. Should I open my laptop, watch another movie, try to learn Chinese or go to sleep? Snore...

Warby Parker Specs: 5 pair to Try FREE!

Wowzer! Five pairs of glasses (filled with prescription) to try on at home...FREE! Great news for this myopic girl. The cheeky video explains it all. This post will be short so I can start selecting my pairs! Anybody try this service yet?? #warbyparker

Minty Makers Mark Citrus Salad

A splash of #makersmark enlivens a minty citrus salad

I crave this salad all year but only make it when Ruby Red grapefruits are at their peak, and that time is now! The Ruby Reds I bought at the market yesterday are sweet, juicy and have a hint of tartness. I supreme them and then mix in tangerines, clementines and oranges.

Toss in a few mint leaves and a splash (or two...three?) of Makers Mark. Good to the last slurp! #makersmark

Binge Watching Downton Abbey

Okay, okay, I was late to the party. Not late to the dinner party mind you, but late to the Downton Abbey party. As conversation delved deeper and deeper into the on-again and off-again romance of Lady Mary and Downton heir, Matthew Crawley, I knew it was time to join the early 20th century with the tools of the 21st.
Over the span of two weeks, I watched pissy Lady Mary, the Titanic sink, an outbreak of Spanish Flu, scheming servants, World War I and the fabulous Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess in a perpetual snit. Our laundry was in piles and dinner was cereal.
I watched Season One on my SmartTV via Netflix in my family room. Season Two found me in front of the fireplace in my parlor (okay, living room) running the HuluPlus app on my iPad.  I caught up with the current season via  pbs.org on my laptop.
 Now I have clean clothes, healthy dinners and a long wait for Season 4.

Mouthman? Great gift for boys!

A Purse Full of Cupcakes

Super cute gift basket culled from the offerings at HomeGoods.  Perfect for the fashionista that cooks!