Have you seen this commercial for Chili’s? I found it very informative. I love when I can learn something in sixty seconds or less. I would have never wondered how Chili’s came to be but since they aired that commercial I wanted to know more. There is no better time to dive into a topic like this other than Find Out Friday! I love Chili’s. I wish there were one right by my house. Sure we have Applebee’s, TGIF Fridays, and the like but no other restaurant in this category holds a candle to Chili’s. I love Mexican food and I love the choices they provide. They make great appetizers and cocktails too. One of those gigantic frozen drinks sounds like a little piece of heaven to me right now. Plus they are affordable. It is the perfect place for girl’s night out or an easy family dinner. The Chili’s commercial inspired me to do some digging and thankfully there was lots of information (see Snapple blog) on the other side waiting for me. Owner, Larry Lavine opened hi...

What is the definition of a fact? According to www.dictionary.com it is “something that actually exists; reality; truth, something known to exist or to have happened, a truth known by actual experience or observation.” Thus the phrase “Real Facts” is a false term. It is like a double fact. There is no such thing as an untrue fact because really those are lies. “Lies You Tell” in the words of Tamar Braxton. Even though “Real Facts” aren’t a thing, that hasn’t stopped Snapple from including them on every cap on every bottle they have produced since 2002. “After all, Snapple isn't just selling iced tea, its selling information on bottle caps as “a central part of the Snapple experience,” according to a press release that quotes Snapple marketing director Dave Fleming. “We see them as really big ideas trapped in a small cap’s body,” he said.” I know every time I open a Snapple I am reminded to check the cap and see what interesting piece of information is in my han...

This video is a thing of beauty. I could almost weep just watching it over and over again. http://www.artisanalbistro.com/#!the-bar/j0x9n That’s why I had to stop. Well that and I had to get going or I would miss my reservation at Artisanal Fromagerie and Bistro and after waiting four years for this meal I was not going to wait an extra second. When I stepped out of my car and reached for the door I could feel a transformation occur. I was being transported out of the noise and crowds of NYC and stepping into a peaceful Parisian paradise. The last time I was at this restaurant was for dinner on my thirtieth birthday (see blogs below). I had a large group of family and friends and it is a meal and experience I relished in. I meant to come right back but life got in the way but it has all worked out in my favor. I found out tonight that the restaurant is under new management and has experienced what felt like is a French revolution. The entire ...

In a few short months I will be saying good-bye to my thirty-fourth year. I will turn thirty-five (God willing) EXACTLY four months from today. That sounds both like a long and short time to me. I don’t know how I feel about turning thirty-five. I have had a really great time being thirty-four and if given the choice I would probably be content to freeze this moment and remain this age always. But since that is not an option I am going to have to figure out what I want out of these remaining months in order to be the best version of myself when the big 3 5 comes a knocking. If we are starting at the beginning, as one should, I would have to begin with December 2015, that is where my real shift began. Something had come over me. On New Year’s Eve 2014 before the clock struck twelve and it began 2015, I was hoping that New Year would become “my” year. Yet even as I said it to myself I knew that wasn’t going to become my reality. I don’t know why I just didn’t feel it in my gut an...

I am sitting here on a Sunday afternoon (this past weekend) trying to avoid moving since it is about a million degrees outside. New York City has been under a tremendous heat wave where the humidity plus the temperature makes it feel literally over one hundred degrees. Even inside I am sweating and I am not even moving. I have the AC and fan blowing right on me. In the self-serving interest to pursue coolness (and not moving) I am watching Jurassic World ( http://thequeenoff-ckingeverything.blogspot.com/2015/06/for-my-return-to-park-jurassic-world.html ) for the millionth time. For someone who wouldn’t normally be into this type of movie, I happen to really, really love it. I love the detail, the morality of the plot line and of course the dinosaurs. I have been around children all of my life and one of the things they all have in common is the love of dinosaurs. I don’t know where that comes from. Long before they are learning about fossils in school t...