The smartini

Here's the recipe for the smartini, courtesy of Kevin Sloan at The Social. I think it might be slightly different from what we had at the first GenX SIG, so I'll have another one at our next Mensa happy hour, Thursday, June 5, to compare. Let me know if you put your own twist on the cocktail.

Smartini
2 oz. Zen green tea liqueur
1 oz. ginseng-infused tea
1 oz. Midori
2 oz. citron vodka
1 oz. bar sour

Shake with ice, strain, and serve.

Cool Jewels interview with Jean Yates

I just did an interview with Jean Yates, who is a dear friend and a BeadStyle contributor. Jean has a way of asking interesting questions — not just about jewelry, but about the creative process in general.

I love interviews. Especially this one, because it gave me a chance to think about my approach to life — something that merits consideration from time to time. How often do you get the question, what makes you feel fortunate?

Hope you are having a good day.

Lucky break

I think I'm a truly lucky person.

Eating spaghetti last night, I broke a tooth. A piece the size of two unpopped kernels of corn. (I offer this comparison because I made popcorn earlier.)

The good news:

1. No pain. Discomfort, sure. A jagged piece of tooth in my mouth and in my hand. But, no pain.

2. It was a back tooth. All my front teeth are fine. Yay!

3. I took an Ambien so as not to freak out about my missing tooth or overanalyze how I chipped it on spaghetti.

4. I have a great dentist and mostly adequate dental insurance.

Also, I think it wasn't a coincidence that I just happened upon a 37 Days post about not complaining. I don't know if I can go 37 days in a row not complaining, but I'm happy that I can manage this. My temporary crown is just fine, thank you very much, and I enjoyed a grilled cheese sandwich, fries, and onion rings after my three lidocaine shots wore off.

I think I'm going to drink more milk. It's easier when I have chocolate chip cookies. So, I just baked some. Without nuts.

Smartinis and shopping

Last night Addie and I hosted a GenX happy hour at the Social. We thought said happy hour would be a good kickoff event to attract other local members of Mensa. Smart and fun don't have to be mutually exclusive.

Kevin, the owner of the Social, created a signature smartini for us (in the photo, there's one in front of Cathy). The cocktail has green tea, Cointreau, Zygo, and sour, plus a few other things I can't remember — a fresh, summery drink for an overcast May day. Kevin's going to email me the recipe, so non-local Mensans (and even non-Mensans, natch) can enjoy it, too.

Continuing with the tropical theme, we also enjoyed food from the Social's new spring menu: jerk chicken with green beans, cilantro rice, and fried plantains, tuna and beef carpaccio, and sea scallops with curry-mango sauce. I especially loved my mini creme brulee; the small-dessert idea is a great one for those of us who can't quite forego dessert.

Speaking of great ideas, Steve, a friend from preschool, has an interesting blog post about navigating the grocery store. He makes his shopping lists according to the store's layout. Brilliant! Of course, he's a guy who buys healthy food for his family, as you can tell from the items at the perimeter of the box. Fig Newmans, anyone? My drawing would have stuff mostly on the inside. (Alas, baking supplies, chips, and pasta are usually on the inner shelves.) I suspect that Steve is not prone to impulse buys, either.

I hope your day is filled with good ideas. Happy Friday!

Picture frames and other decisions

I’ve made the biggest decisions of my life quickly and confidently. The house and the dog — I didn’t deliberate endlessly even though they were decisions with life-changing consequences. Maybe because, even though buying a house and adopting a dog both entail risk, they also require a leap of faith. I couldn’t possibly know the outcome of those decisions in advance, so I just had to trust myself. Also, because there are a limited number of houses and dogs, I didn’t feel like something better would present itself if I just looked harder.

The house and the dog have worked out just fine.

This weekend, I searched for a picture frame. Among all the decisions we make on a given day, that's a tiny one. But it was a gift, and if I wanted to put the photo in a forgettable wood or silver frame, I could just leave that to the recipient, right?

Off I went to World Market. No luck. Then TJ Maxx, which usually has nice frames. Also no luck. Then Marshalls, where I found almost the right frame. It was pale blue leather, but it had a white flower on it. Very small and simple. I asked a girl carrying a cute purse, “If you were a guy, how much would this flower bother you?” She said, “A lot. My husband wouldn’t like that.” I love when a stranger will tell you the truth.

After staying another half hour and deliberating about other frames, I found nothing that suited the photo. The problems with the others: too ornate, too plain, cheaply made, wrong color. And the worst ones became the focal point rather than the complement to the photo. I almost bought two frames as possible defaults, but I think the buy-and-return strategy is a waste of time. So, dejected, I headed to Target.

And found the perfect frame. Nice color, good style, and most importantly, it suited the tone and scale of the photo. I wrapped it up in recycled calendar paper and admired my handiwork.

Even though it wasn't a life-changing experience, I'm happy that I overanalyzed to find the perfect gift. And you never know how those small decisions will have an impact on the bigger ones.

I want my MTV and my Mensa

On Friday, Yukie and I attended the Mensa RG (regional gathering) in Wauwatosa. We were there to drum up interest in a GenX SIG (special interest group). For Mensa purposes, that includes anyone born between 1961 and 1981. Alas, we did not hand out many flyers to the mostly over-50 crowd, but we did meet some friendly people and eat chicken gyros and baklava at the Greek-themed dinner.

Yukie and I joined Mensa a couple of months ago. She belongs to the L.A. chapter, where the GenX SIG hosts fun happy hours with a good group of thirtysomethings. (I am really bummed I couldn't go to Mensa karaoke.) Wisconsin Mensa has a relatively small membership — about 700 in the state, with about half in Milwaukee — so I expect a challenge in getting a group together.

That said, if you live in Milwaukee and are curious about Mensa, come have a smartini with Addie and me at the Social this Thursday, May 1.

If you're hesitant about joining, I get that. Sure, some intelligent people have esoteric interests. But who doesn't? And, there's nothing wrong with wanting to be around like-minded people. Being part of a group can be whatever you want it to be — we make our own experience. So why not start with a drink?

A doggone mystery

Keith and I just spent three and a half hours assembling the new queen bed I ordered for the spare bedroom — just in time for Yukie's visit tomorrow. Okay, so maybe we did spend 20 minutes eating Chinese food and a few minutes paying attention to Ginger. Here she is at about the halfway point. Incidentally, she also got trapped when Denise and I assembled the bed in my upstairs bedroom.

How did she get in there? No, I did not ask her to pose in the midst of our handiwork. Gigi wants to be a part of the process, wants to take a nap while people work around her — then wakes up disoriented and puzzled about how to get out. The bed frame is too low to crawl under, too high to just step over. After a few forlorn moments, she'll halfheartedly leap over the obstacle.

There is probably some cute lesson about perseverance here, but I am just too tired to think of it. Three hours of twisting a tiny wrench can really sap your energy.

By the way, the bed does look great. Not quite the same once I added the comforter heavy enough to withstand Midwest winters — but striking nonetheless. Plus, I figure that Ginger will never again be ensnared by my furniture-building trials. I'd ask her how she feels about that, but she's sleeping.