The ABC Life Blog

2 points
A week ago I went with a friend to hear a BAND – the Texas Instruments Jazz Band. Imagine 18 engineers and scientists cranking out jazz and then upgrade that image. This band was talented, entertaining, versatile and well worth the $5 admission. Since they represent TI (love those shirts), do they get time off to practice? Inquiring minds want to know.

2 points
Secrets of Eden by Chris BOHJALIAN is described as a novel of “shattered faith, intimate secrets and the delicate nature of sacrifice.” I found nothing delicate about this story. Can domestic violence have a delicate side? Bohjalian is a master at his craft and I have been a follower of his for some time. This book, however, was not one of my favorites. I guessed the ending way too soon and wasn’t particularly emotionally invested in any of the characters. My favorite book by him: Midwives.

1/2 point
This is a new rating but I had lunch at Lavendou BISTRO Provencal. Had been curious about this restaurant and my sister and I were in search of a “girl’s lunch.” Was undecided about whether this would count since the B stood for Bistro, which could be construed as a substitute for “restaurant.” However, the word bistro is thought to be derived from the Russian word “bistra” meaning “quickly.” So to honor the word, I’ve made a quick decision to give this a 1/2 point in the ABC life.  After all, it’s all about new experiences.

2 points

Started off the month with a new BURGER – one from a cow that grazed only on grass. No hormones, additives or oyster bars for this bovine. Great place called The Grazing Cow, with the best pomegranate lemonade ever. My burger was topped with a generous heap of goat cheese and I really should have taken half home. (Notice I said “should.”) Now I realize BURGER isn’t a completely new experience but this burger was worth tasting and talking about.

1 point

Second on the food lineup was the BLUE MESA. Love this place but I have been here before – even if it was quite some time ago. The new experience: a BLUE margarita. Thought maybe the blue came from food coloring but fortunately it’s from a liquer. Tasty and trippy.

October, my A month, went by so quickly. Need to tidy up loose ends so I can begin my B month.

Last-minute accomplishments:
2 points
Having never baked an apple pie, I decided to give it a try but on a smaller scale. Went for an APPLE torte, which was more like an apple crumbly pie. Came out okay but not necessarily a keeper. Tasted better when I sampled it earlier in the month from someone else’s efforts. Also tried an AMARETTI torte, which was more successful but I went too heavy on the Almond Extract. But I tried! Lesson learned: when measuring liquids, do not do it over the entire batter. Spillage cannot be retrieved.

2 points
Attended an ACTING performance: The Curse of the Castle Mongrew at Dallas Childrens’ Theater. Very enjoyable even though I felt the actors/actresses were stronger than the script. The best part: I sat next to someone who heartily laughed at every little nuance. It was contagious. Naturally, my friends and I were soon hysterical as well. Turned out he was the director of development. Understandably, it’s much easier to laugh at the performances given by people you know. I’ll get to experience that in my “C” month when a friend performs in Christmas Belles in a nearby city.

Aborted activity:
Was all set to read ANNA KARENINA. But it’s 800 pages. Just not going to happen now. But oh how intriguing is the opening: “Happy families are all alike. Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”

2 Points
Choosing a new subject to study each month is part of living the abc life. For A, it’s ANTELOPES. They’re beautiful and, if nothing else, have some of the best names: the dik-dik, eland, klipspringer, bushbuck, tsessebe, kudu, addax and oryx. (The last three are great scrabble words.) Since there are 91 different types, it’s obviously a big task to study them all – so I’m not.

The most interesting fact I’ve discovered (okay, my knowledge is admittedly limited)) is that antelopes, although commonly thought to be part of the deer family, are actually part of the Bovidae family, which also includes cattle, goats, sheep, bison and buffalo. So the lyric, “home, home on the range, where the deer and the antelope play,” is taking creative license. The truth is they do not play together. They’re quite different beasts – but you’ll never hear a discouraging word from the antelope on the misguided national anthem. They’re way too dignified.

1 Point

Robert Hinkle, the author of Call Me Lucky, A Texan in Hollywood, writes about his days in Hollywood, where he taught Rock Hudson to talk like a Texan and James Dean to act like a cowboy for the movie Giant. Now that’s entrepreneurial – taking your experiences with famous people and flushing/puffing them out to have a semi-continuous income stream. I heard him talk recently at my woman’s club. Mr. Hinkle is in his 80s now so and still going strong – so I bought his book, complete with the AUTHOR’S AUTOGRAPH.

It’s amazing how those A’s can pile up fast – this time all under “activities.”

2 Points:
This past weekend, it was all about ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATING. Motivated by an article in Southern Living that raved about a fabulous restaurant, Rancho Loma, where the charm is abundant and the food is extraordinary, we met up with our close friends, Bill and Carol (from ARIZONA – can’t count that one) for a Texas style getaway. With the lure of a gourmet, farm-fresh, five course meal stretched out over three hours, that place exceeded our expectations. No wonder Bobby Flay is a fan. (No, he wasn’t there but his cookbooks were well represented at the Owl Drugstore where you can still get a great breakfast for $1.99.)

Since Rancho Loma is in Valera, Texas, we stayed at nearby Hords Creek Ranch in Coleman. What a find that was too. Clean and roomy, two-story, two-bedroom ranch house with fabulous cowboy ambiance.

2 Points:
On the ranch, I tried my hand at ANGLING. Didn’t catch anything but I did get a pull on the line. Hey, that was enough. I had finally “gone fishing.”

2 Points:
An 800-acre ranch has its share of critters. And who can resist horses’ hooves and cattle calls? Took some great shots during my brush with ANIMAL PHOTOGRAPHY.

2 Points:
Whenever I go to a new town, ANTIQUING is a must to get a flavor of the past. Although “true” antique stores were not abundant, we did find some rarities among items being readied for a Sunday auction. Interesting collection but nothing had my name on it.

What a great weekend.

How’s your ABC life been going?

New experiences keep your life fresh and interesting – a constant stream of discoveries. And lists, well I’ve always been the sort to write it down and check it twice.

So I’m taking my love for the new and combining it with the thrill of the list and having fun with the ABC Life – an orderly way to expand my life with fun places to visit and fascinating things to do, read, eat and experience. Admittedly, I get enthusiastic over the tiniest things but then often lose that initial interest rather quickly. Another reason why the ABC Life is for me.

The ABC Life is where you do as many things within a month that you can – starting with a specific letter. Obviously it all starts with “A.” So for me, October is the A month. During this month, I will try to cover as many categories as I comfortably can, without feeling like it’s a race. It’s an add-on, not the end all.

The main categories are:
Visiting/going to a city or type of place. ( Like A could be going to Austin. Or if travel was out of the question, it could be going to an aviation exhibit or to a local airport and browsing through their gift shop. )
Doing something specific.
Trying a new food or recipe.
Studying a subject.

Additional categories are wide open but could include: reading a book whose title or first or last name starts with the letter, watching a movie that starts with the letter, going to a restaurant or drinking a specific wine.)

There are “points” in my ABC Life. Doesn’t have to be the same for you, but I like the points concept – sort of the thrill I get from lists. But the rules for the points can change and when there’s no one making them but you, you can adjust them as you go. I give myself 2 points for a main category and 1 point for additional categories. I’m aiming for at least 8 points a month.

I’m excited to start. In fact, I’ve already started.

2 Points:
I went to Arlington for a Ranger’s game last Friday. They were playing the Los Angeles Angels so my loyalty was split. I own a Rally Monkey, which was all the rage during the summer of 2002 when the Angels won the World Series but I live in Texas now. Only my friend P knows who I was rooting for and she won’t tell.

1 Point:
Tried a new wine last week at an interesting wine bar in Frisco/Little Elm. The place is called The Grape Escape (casual vibe and good live music) and the wine was Argiolas Costamolina – a fresh, clean, ripe white wine, expressing pear, peach, spice and a touch of grapefruit.

1 Point:
Read Anna Quinlan‘s Every Last One. It’s a very powerful book but it deals with the subject of loss and it’s a very emotional read. I loved the writing and the truths revealed by the main character, the mom. If not for that, I would have stopped reading since it was hard to deal with her pain. Glad I did finish it, however, since it was so well written and didn’t take the easier, more cliched route to the end.

More points to come. I know I’ll be going to antique stores later in the month and trying out two great new recipes: one for an amaretti torte from my friend JD and another for a simple Apple Torte from LH. (Notice the trend here for dessert?) Can’t share them yet since I haven’t baked either but will post when I do.

Feel free to play along and share. It will be fun!