What’s That Stench In The Kitchen?!

For the last few days, I have not been able to figure out what the horrible smell in our kitchen was.

That was, until tonight when Keith was cleaning up from dinner and suddenly said, “Hmm…these onions are growing things…whoa, I need your help here!”

As I rounded the corner, I saw the source of the stench. A couple weeks ago, Keith returned from New England to find the air conditioning broken after several 118 degree days. Apparently, this resulted in rotting potatoes.

Not just rotting potatoes, but maggots in rotting potatoes.

Insert extremely sensitive gag reflex.

I have zero tolerance for smells and gross things. It will be a miracle if I survive caring for sick children.

Keith was the hero of the evening – I reminded him several times how grateful I am that he was doing the cleaning since I would have been sick several times. Without missing a beat, the good doctor responded:

“I don’t mind – bacterial vaginosis smells way worse.”

Nothing stays serious in our house for very long.

Grey Gardens Tempts Me

I totally forgot about the ultimate guilty pleasure Grey Gardens until I saw this at the BX yesterday…

I think I need to see this...

How could I not remember a full-scale film had been made in their memory. I can honestly say this is one cult classic I am addicted to :)

Printer Troubles

Several friends have been passing this around Facebook today. It was extremely appropriate since I have had an incredibly aggravating week with my own printer. When I first got my MacBook, I didn’t install the drivers for my HP psc 2175. Everything printed and copied fine, but I couldn’t scan. I didn’t really bother me, but I decided last week to finally install the drivers (yes, it’s been 2.5 years and I still hadn’t done it). When this happened, I could no longer print; everytime I attempted to print, the application I was using would shut. Very inconvenient and annoying.

You should really read this, it’ll make you laugh.

Grey Gardens: Where skirts transform into capes at the blink of an eye!

Someone introduced my mom to the documentary Grey Gardens a few weeks ago.

For those of you who haven’t been enlightened, Jackie O’s cousin Little Edie and aunt Big Edie Beale lived in a gorgeous 14-bedroom home in East Hampton (Big Edie was a Bouvier). Trouble is, they let it become completely dilapidated over time and it became known as the “garbage-ridden” estate. When Ben Bradlee and wife bought the home, the found 51 dead cats and several raccoon skulls. Needless to say, these women were a little batty.

It’s the most bizarre thing I have ever seen, but I can’t tear myself away.

Just in case you’re still not sure you want to run out and rent this cult-classic, here are a few of my favorite moments:

http://img.youtube.com/vi/xG5baCxTtgw/0.jpg

Above is Little Edie’s “Revolutionary Costume” – cutoff jean shorts, underneath fishnet stockings, covered by a sweater tied around her waist and secured closed with safety pins (aka a sweater being worn as a skirt). The marvelous thing about this outfit, Edie exclaims, is that the skirt can quickly become a cape if she needs it to be.

But Edie didn’t always have horrific fashion sense.

http://www.704d.com/candyland/uploaded_images/little-edie-757677.jpg

At one point in her life, little Edie Beale was gorgeous. And so was her mother.

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u315/BrandoBardot/greygardens3.jpg

Apparently, Beales do not age well.

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/rpNKFq3L900/0.jpg

As you might notice, Big Edie isn’t very good at covering up where it counts. In one seen, the camera sneeks up behind her and it seems as if she’s sunbathing in the nude. Luckily, she’s semi-covered, but my favorite line occurs in this scene when Little Edie accuses her mother of dressing poorly. Big Edie comes back with: “Well, don’t worry, I’m gonna get naked here in a minute.”

The nonsense just goes on and on.

After watching too much Grey Gardens, I am inclined to wonder what makes two women who were once in the social spotlight and had everything they might have wanted go batty? Did the house go into disrepair because they lost it or did they go crazy because the house was dying around them? And what can I do to never get to that mental black hole?

Some last thoughts on the topic:

Drew Barrymore starred in the TV for film version.

Ben Bradlee and wife (the current owners) completely renovated the house in the original style. They rent it out over Labor Day weekend for $30,000.

Jerry, the handyman from Brooklyn, was the Edies’ favorite person. Big Edie told him he was as beautiful as her mother and Little Edie said he was too stupid to understand Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Marble Fawn. Delightful.

http://www.fancast.com/blogs/files/2009/04/big-blog-template-marble-faun-grey-gardens.jpg

The house has changed a bit in the last 30 years:

BEFORE

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_yqsQcxWk4iw/Se9O6LHTsNI/AAAAAAAAIRk/ejC9liLJaD0/s400/grey-gardens-exterior-1970s.jpg

2009-06-16-gettygreygardenshouseimage469x311.jpg

AFTER

041609-gg01.jpg

So if you’re ever bored, or have a hankering for some psychological frivolities, check out the Maysles brothers documentary. Personally, I’m excited to see Drew Barrymore’s characterization of the “revolutionary costume”.

A Curious Walk

Hubby, mother-in-law, and I went on a walk at Bluff Point in Groton (CT) this afternoon in order to herald in the huge snowstorm I mentioned yesterday.

That was several hours ago and it’s starting to snow now. You can imagine how out of control Keith is with excitement!

Anyways, the bluff was so calm and beautiful. If you’ve never been, you should check it out.

We saw all sorts of unusual and curious things:

A funny shaped birch tree growing almost horizontally:

A lobster trap filled with beer cans:

An old propane tank completely rusted over:

An empty milk jug:

A possum that was clearly not feeling well. Dr. Keith wanted to pick it up and nurse it back to health. Good thing MIL and I were there to convince him rabies is not a good thing: (I apologize for the gross-ness of this picture…but I couldn’t resist the educational value).

A solar-powered port-a-potty. We’re still not sure what the power is for since it definitely didn’t have a warm seat:

A tree that looks like it has arms:

A scallop shell in perfect condition:

It was a great walk and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!

Keith and his mom.

Keith and I.

The Long Island Sound.

The ice-covered estuary.

And now the snow is falling. I love the peacefulness it brings.

Ding Dong, The Bling Is Dead

October 7th, 2009 will always be known as “Bling Day”. The Bling (my lovely car) – formally called The Bling with The Thing and The Ding – died. The pictures speak for themselves.

I certainly loved this car; I’m glad she went out with a bang!!!!