A Final 25 Things About Me.

1. As a child, I was caught on a railroad trestle with a train speeding toward me and had to run as fast as I was able to beat the train and get off the track.
2. While in high school, my family hosted a French exchange student, a pretty blonde girl named Caroline. Before she left Paris, she shaved her legs, which scandalized her mother who thought she looked like an American floozy.
3. My Prima Por Vida, Vickie and I started wondering how big our Hispanic Catholic family had become. We counted up the number of people on our side of the family but were unsure we had it all down. Calling on La Capitan de nuestro familia, Tía Maria Elena, she took all of 15 minutes before returning the verdict: 93 relatives, including spouses. Tía added the 1 fiancee and 2 longterm boyfriends for a total of 96. We are the stereotypical Catholic Hispanic family! Imagine what our family reunion will be like, once we get one organized.
4. I remember buying candy at the Superette on the corner of W. Elmwood & Old Sterlington Rd. in Monroe, La. One of my favorites was the pack of bubblegum cigarettes coated with sweetened powder that blew out like real smoke when you puffed on the "cigarette". Gotta love the tobacco marketing back then.
5. My "you're going to burn in hell" moment happened in 1988 when I made out in a confessional after a meeting of the LSU Catholic students organization.
6. I accidentally threw my boyfriend's class ring out a car window and off the Desiard St. bridge while trying to get rid of a beer can pop top (or pull tab, whatever you call them). He was not happy about it. We broke up within days.
7. I have braved the infamous Southern Decadence in New Orleans and lived to tell the tale, although I may still be emotionally scarred. I'd thought I'd seen it all until I went to this Labor Day festival. Let's just say I have an image of a sex act burned forever into my mind along with permanent liver damage.
8. When I was a bartender, my signature shot was called a Blowjob. Made with creme de cacao, creme de banana, vodka and cream, it goes down super easy but you'll definitely know you've had one.
9. I have read all of the books in the Wizard of Oz series penned by L. Frank Baum. Some were not so good.
10. I believe in magic. I think everyone needs more magic in their lives.
11. I think every teenager needs a part time job, even if it is only during summer break.
12. Oreo cookies are one of my guilty pleasures.
13. I am still dreaming of the day when I can go skydiving. I'm not worried about dying but I am concerned I may break a foot or ankle upon impact.
14. I still wish on the first star I see at night.
15. One year I had a Valentine's breakfast date, lunch date and dinner date. It was a very good year.
16. I have seen/participated in the Rocky Horror Picture Show 13 times over the years. For the record, I've never worn a costume although if I ever had it would be Magenta's.
17. Once when discussing how in the past I've dated men I met at friends' weddings, my niece (who was 8 at the time) quipped "Tía Kay will be looking for a husband at my wedding." Sadly, my family probably still believes that.
18. If I had one hour to spend with anyone at all in the world there would be no way I'd be able to choose just one person. I love too many of ya'll.
19. Like Madonna sings "Some girls, they like candy, and others, they like to grind, I’ll settle for the back of your hand somewhere on my behind."
20. My favorite place to eat in St. Louis is Pho Grand at 3195 South Grand Blvd. If you're in town and need great Dau Hu Chien Don, Bun Thit Nuong Cha Gio and Cafe Sua Da they are the place to hit. Mmmm!
21. If you gave me a $50 bill and said I could spend it wherever I pleased, it would be very difficult to choose between Whole Foods, Central Market, Half Price Books or Barnes & Noble. I'd either buy an ounce of caviar and a decent but midrange priced champagne or books.
22. My favorite summer camp experience was Camp Hacknslash, the world premiere of Freddy Vs. Jason. Hosted by Alamo Drafthouse and Ain't It Cool News, we participated in camp activities with a twist. Softball became sloshball when you had to stop and chug a beer at 2nd base. We made Freddy hands and Jason masks along with other Blair Witch Crafts. Yummy BBQ and endless beer had us ready to watch every Friday the 13th & Freddy trailer played before the big movie event and participate in a Q&A session with the actors who play the main men after. Fun times!
23. I hate the smell of the generic pink antibiotic soap found in restrooms across the country.
24. My favorite Starbucks beverage is a triple shot venti soy latte. I love the slightly nutty flavor of the soy milk and think this is the one coffee drink that doesn't need sugar added.
25. The only peanut butter I like is Whole Food's all natural freshly ground PB. It rocks! Even more fun is going to the store and grinding it yourself...you know there is nothing in it but peanuts and it tastes a hundred times better than Jif.

This concludes the 100 Things About Me. I hope you had a laugh or two and learned something new.

Who Is Nate Torrence?

I love this guy. I have no reason to love him, but I do. Nate Torrence has been popping up in commercials all over the television. He's the poor schmuck in the Capitol One ads, playing the fall guy opposite David Spade. He's in the HEB commercials, screaming for ice cream. I recently saw Nate in a new one, playing a guy named "Moose" who goes to his high school reunion in a rental car and ends up with a babe on each arm. Sex sells, even for a big dude. Nate is not your usual 135lb actor. He's a guy with heft, with size and charm. His sweet smile and twinkling eyes gives you the "I'm harmless" vibe. The website I surfed looking for him reports that he is married and (possibly) has a daughter. It also says he was a pre-adolescent trampoline gymnast. I bet he's a helluva good time in the bedroom. I have no idea if he is destined for a great acting career, comedic or otherwise, but for now at least Nate has my attention. He makes waiting through the commercials so much more bearable. The next time a Capitol One or HEB commercial comes on, pay attention and then let me know what you think of Nate.

Freezer Full o'Venison

My dad has had a successful hunting season. I have a freezer full of venison just begging for creative recipes. Last night I marinated part of a backstrap in a spicy brown mustard concoction. It was quite a delicious tangy marinade but I added too many diced onions to the pan while grilling the slices of backstrap. Oh well, live and learn. My favorite way to cook backstrap is to cut it in thin slices, dip it in beaten egg with milk and dredge it in a spicy flour mixture....chicken fried delight.

I have big plans for the leg portion. I'm thinking of braising it in a red wine sauce with potatoes, mushrooms, shallots and carrots. A long, sweet, slow cooking process that will leave the meat juicy and tender. I haven't decided what to do with the steaks yet, but there's a spicy strong steak seasoning blend in my pantry that might be just the ticket for grilled venison.

How do you like your venison? So many make chili or jerky that this year I am determined to be different. Let me know if you have ideas for a good meal. I have plenty of meat to cook.

Ask & You Shall Receive

I didn't want to overwhelm you with a list of 50 like last time, so here goes 25 more pieces of obscure information about me. Let me know if I should press on to make it a full 100 or stop now. If you're yawning and you know it, clap your hands! And click on comments to tell me that my posting makes a great remedy for your insomnia.

1. I was born at 5:38am. My twin sister was born at 5:33am.
2. I will taste almost any food, no matter how unusual or exotic. It's rare that I find something I don't like.
3. I read every day. Reading is my addiction. If I'm near the end of a book I get anxious, consumed with thinking about what my next fix will be and where I will get it. If I have nothing new to read I will either re-read books or read the ones I don't really have an interest in, just to be reading. "Hello, my name is Kaya and I'm a readaholic."
4. As an adolescent I developed a mad crush on Mikhail Baryshnikov that never quite went away, laying the groundwork for me to be attracted to men with ambiguous sexuality. In the pic of my favorite poster of Mikhail, you'll note the strong features mixed with the oh so sensual lips and delicate high cheekbones. And that net shirt screams "club clothes"!
5. I've watched in awe as Old Faithful erupted underneath a full moon at Yellowstone National Park.
6. I have never made a pie crust from scratch although my mother has a wonderful recipe and her's always turn out just right.
7. I've run my hand through a ball of bluish bright swamp gas one night on a lonely road beside a cemetary in West Monroe, Louisiana. I've forgotten the cemetary name but it's on Arkansas Road, for any of you readers familiar with the town. The swamp gas was floating about a foot off the ground and was eerily beautiful.
8. I love fountain pens although I don't currently own any. If you need a gift idea, I prefer indigo ink and a medium nib.
9. I was once mauled by a strange man while shopping in a book store in a different state. He grabbed me, full body hugged me and kissed my cheek. Imagine how he felt when I finally convinced him I wasn't Kim (who hadn't told him she has a twin). The really odd part was that I was in a state that neither of us have ever lived in.
10. I have been to the top of the Arch in St. Louis. It sways, quite a bit, which was so unsettling that I stayed for less than five minutes before getting back into the funny egg-shaped tram for the ride back down.
11. I love Big Red soda. Always have.
12. I once went into Mike the Tiger's compound on the campus at LSU to interview the keeper for the school paper. Being inches away from a fullgrown Bengal tiger, even separated by bars, is a heartpounding situation. Watching Mike "play" with a football by shredding it to bits did not make me feel more secure.
13. I was an extra in the stadium crowd scenes for the 1988 movie Everybody's All American starring Dennis Quaid and Jessica Lange.
14. I have a circa 1925 family recipe for peach cobbler that I still rely on today. It's fabulous and easy.
15. I have worked as an answering service operator using an old school telephone board where a line would ring and light up and you would plug your cord into the round jack to answer it. "One ringy dingy..."
16. I made an A in my Performance Art class at LSU. My final was a performance involving wrapping myself in blinking, colored lights on a darkened stage while a Christmas carol in which I'd done voiceovers showing the stress of the holidays played loudly, echoing in the nearly empty theater. My teacher loved it. I can still hear "I just can't take it anymore!" in my mind whenever Winter Wonderland comes on.
17. I used to read Tarot cards but stopped because I didn't like telling people things that may upset them.
18. I have eaten Thanksgiving dinner in a restaurant only two times in my life.
19. I love quotations. I look them up for any occasion and have several that are meaningful to me posted around my work space.
20. I think life would be better if I ate avocado gelato from Whole Foods every day.
21. Frederick charts my periods so that he'll know in advance when I might be moody or agreeable to walking to Amy's at lunch for some PMS relieving Belgian Chocolate ice cream.
22. My great grandfather was a card carrying member of the KKK. We still have his card in a box of old family stuff. I often wonder why a "secret society" would actually make membership cards? We think my grandfather was a member as well, but didn't find any evidence. To say that the family wasn't happy when my Dad brought my Mother around is an understatement. Surprise! Their marriage has lasted 39 years.
23. I dig old school kids breakfast cereals. Life, Golden Grahams, Sugar Corn Pops (now just Corn Pops, although the amount of sugar in them remains the same), Fruity Pebbles, Post's Fortified Oat Flakes, Captain Crunch, Trix! and Lucky Charms. Mmmmm.
24. I once ran my mother's car off a Louisiana road and through part of a soybean field before making it back onto the asphalt. Luckily my mother wasn't with me and her car had no damage. I did have to dig a soybean plant out of the tail pipe, though.
25. My favorite food from the many Ark-La-Miss Fairs that I attended while growing up in Louisiana is the famous Natchitoches meat pie. Yummy!

So what do you think? Can you handle 25 more?