Homophones

I knew homophones existed, but just tripped up over one. If you don't know, homophones are words that sound the same to your ear but have entirely different meanings. An example is heir and air.

Recently I was coming in my building while a woman was leaving. As she passed me, I got this wonderful scent of perfume -- light, flowery, clean-smelling. I said, "You smell good, what scent are you wearing?"

And she said (or so I thought) "Lancome's Census."

I heard census and thought Lancome had made a perfume to commemorate the 2010 census. Honestly, I did. We each continued on our ways and I thought about what an odd name for a perfume, even if the census does only happen every 10 years.

Then it hit me -- it was not census, but rather senses. Googled it and found I was right -- well, I was right the second time.

If you're sniffing around for a new perfume and you like light and airy and floral scents, check out Lancome's Senses, perfect for the Census year.

Palm Sunday/Passover

Spent a lovely dinner with my friend Stephanie at Maz Mescal, a neighborhood Mexican restaurant. We must be senior citizens since we went at 4:30, shared an appetizer, shared an appetizer for two for our entree, but we did finish it up with a shared slice of Mud Pie (with ice cream) and cafe au lait. Nobody went home hungry.

However on the way home, I stopped at Tal Bagels thinking I could buy my yearly supply of macaroons. There are certain foods which I love but rarely buy because they always disappoint if it's not perfect, and macaroons are one of them. Typically the canned or packaged version are bready, doughy and lack flavor.

But, ahhhh... Tal Bagels' real, house-made macaroons. They came in plain, chocolate covered and almond, and I bought half a pound of almond. I like chocolate, but I'm more of a macaroon purist. By the way, an Israeli told me Tal means dew in Hebrew. Maybe it's like Morning Dew Bagels... Hmmm, that doesn't quite translate well.

In any event, despite being full from dinner, I could not resist biting into a macaroon. Yes, it was moist, chewy, sticky with a few razor thin slices of almond adhered to the side. Really, it was perfect. You can taste the almond and the coconut (REAL coconut) in equal shares. Contemplating the ones dipped in chocolate, I think it would make the macaroon too candy-ish so I think I made the right call with the almond. To me a macaroon is a great blend between candy and a cake.

What I Learned Today

Today I interviewed someone for a profile for a trade magazine and learned two things: One, I don't believe I've ever heard of a Rhodesian Ridgeback (pictured above.) This man has two of them, named Zambezi and Mesquite. Very international!

This dog is also called the African Lion Hound or the African Lion Dog, and according to Wikipedia, here's why:

"The breed's history dates back to early in the 18th century, when the first European settlers found dogs domesticated by Khoi-khoi tribes with the hair on the spine turned forward. In the late 19th century, big game hunters needed a hunting dog that was tough, resistant to disease, and intelligent enough to avoid crocodiles and snakes, but brave and fast enough to face a lion. Also important was a tick-repellent smooth coat and tight paw pads to protect against thorns and rough terrain. Cornelius Van Rooyen of Plumtree, Rhodesia, was the main person behind the development of the breed."

This man described his dogs as very gentle with his two girls (aged 3 years and 18 months). The dogs let the girls put stickers on them, play with them and the dogs will let smaller dogs at the dog park crawl and sniff all over them.

The other thing I learned is that he told me he was half-French, half-American Indian and when I asked him which tribe, he said Caddo which he had to spell since I'd never heard of this particular tribe. The tribe is based in Oklahoma with a long history going back a time when the Caddo people populated most of East Texas, and parts of Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Here's what Wikipedia says:

The Caddo Nation of Oklahoma is a federally recognized tribe. They were previously known as the Caddo Tribe of Oklahoma. A tribal constitution provides for a tribal council consisting of eight members with a chairperson, based in Binger, Oklahoma. The tribal complex, dance grounds, and the Caddo Heritage Museum are located south of Binger. 5000 people are enrolled in the tribe, with 2500 living within the state of Oklahoma. The tribe operates its own housing authority and issues its own tribal vehicle tags.[1] They maintain administrative centers, dance grounds, several community centers, and an active NAGPRA office

So, true to form, I can vouch for the fact that we learn something new every day!

Early Spring on East 87th Street

So these are the two lovely brownstones I mentioned before that are right across the street from my building. If you look at the green ivy in the middle, go to the right and you can make out that there are dead, well dormant for now, vines that go up the length of the building. Soon it will sprout leaves and then some time in May the wisteria flowers will bloom and that whole vine will be this spectacular mass of purple flowers. It's really amazing.

A few years ago, the owners of the building cut down the whole vine down to its stump and I thought that might be the end of it, but I guess wisteria is a fast-growing plant.

Same Time, Next Year

Yesterday, I had my annual tax prep appointment with my accountant. I've used the same man for years -- followed him from one firm to another and he was made partner at his current firm.

Anyway, it's weird to see someone once a year and the marker for the time has been the photos of his two kids in his office. He has a son and daughter, and year by year, I watched the kids get older on the desk photos -- one year it was the Disney picture of the family with Goofy, the graduation photos... I'd hear about the trips scouting out colleges ...year by year, the kids grew up.

This year, his son is now 2 or 3 years out of college, working in DC and about to be married. I told him that when he's a grandfather I will feel very old and he looked up from his computer and said "YOU will feel old???"

Rainy Monday

Today all signs of spring are gone, and we're back to late winter, cold and rainy. I was thinking how much the weather affects my world outlook. I love having the windows open and sitting in the sunshine and how different I would have felt today if it had been pleasant.

I think about how it will be time for my garden soon. I still have winter decor there-- pine branches, white sticks, red ribbons, etc. What looked so magical in November now just looks a bit shopworn.

Signs and Omens

I think I would have made a good cavewoman as I believe in signs and omens.

Last week a friend called who is going through a hard time in different aspects of his life. It's the type of situationw where you can deal with it if it's just one aspect, but not here.

When we hung up, I sat there and thought about him for a few moments and then flipped on the radio and the first thing I heard was "Everything's gonna be alright" over and over. I recognized it as the chorus of that old reggae classic "No Woman No Lie," but sung by someone else.

Turns out it was the Fugees which I can't say I know anything about other than the name. In fact, when I went to iTunes, I initially did a search spelling it Fujis, like the mountain, like the apple.

No go.

Then I tried Fujees, and got back that mild reprimand DID YOU MEAN FUGEES? Well, yes, I suppose I did.

So I emailed him to tell him the omen of hearing the song. He called me this morning to say he's downloaded it and played it 17 times. Since the call this morning, I have had "Everything's gonna be alright" in my head, which is not a bad notion for my brain to be stuck on.

Everything's gonna be alright. Really.