Stroppy Sheilas

I've been reading this book called Adventure Divas for the past few weeks and I've really been enjoying it. The author, Holly Morris, is a journalist who tours the globe with a crew of women looking for women (or divas) of action, women who are changing the world. The best part of the book, to me, is how Holly brings to life all of the places she visits. I can't wait to see the actual footage of her trips and interviews, which I plan to get on dvd soon.

Here is one of my favorite excerpts for a chapter about her visit to India:

"In Cuba, you hear something before you see it; in Borneo, you feel it before you see it; in India, you smell it before you see it. Diesel exhaust. Crushed marigolds. Smoldering cow dung. Old hot cooking oil. Milky chai. And always, incense. The smells of India swirl around us. 'We'll need to make a scratch-'n'-sniff film to do this country justice,' notes Julie, handing me a chai."

I think the writing is excellent. Current chapter: New Zealand. A little Haka, anyone?

Sibling Security

Over breakfast con mi familia on Sunday, I discovered that the first six digits of my social security number match those of my brother's. I was in complete shock and awe over this, but my brother was like, "I have no idea how social security codes are formulated, so there is no reason for me to think that this is amazing at all." What a downer. I still find this cool, since we were born 5.5 years apart and in different states (if that matters). Has anyone else out there noticed similar SS codes amongst siblings? I suppose I could research the topic, but I'm curious first to see if anyone else has noticed a similar phenomenon.

Why I've Got DiSpirito.

To the left is one of my most favorite chefs....Rocco DiSpirito. He is the inspiration for my blog (check out the title of my blog and you'll see) and for my passion for food and flavor (at least in my ideal/dream world). For those of you who weren't around me much during the airing of Rocco's wonderful television series, The Restaurant, you may not quite understand the extent of my love for Rocco, but believe me, it is strong. To my roommates during that period of my life, thank you for continuing to consider me a friend. Many of you may be aware that Rocco has a new cookbook out, called 5 Minute Flavor that is all about fast and wonderful dishes that you can make with ease. This new cookbook can be seen in the bookstore scene of the smash-hit movie, The 30-Year-Old Virgin. Yes, I do have an eye for the details. Sadly, I have yet to purchase any of his cookbooks, for fear that I will be unable to live up to Rocco's high standards of excellence.

Danke.

Thanks to all of my friends who have already checked out my new venture. And I'm glad I was able to inspire you all on some level. (A special nod goes to you, Liz). I started this blog just so I could have a picture appear next to all of my comments, but, who knows, maybe this will be a new and exciting adventure into blogdom.

Nikki and I watched a great documentary last night called 'Naked World.' It was about the photographer who goes all over various cities and countries taking nude photos of people in public spaces, even in the US, where public nudity is illegal. Here is a link to his website:
http://www.nakedworlddoc.com/naked_world.html

This is me.