Good Luck Deluxe

Anyone who knows me well chuckles about the Ethiopians I encounter who often come up to me speaking in their language, assuming that I am pure Ethiopian.

Some of them have even vehemently insisted that I am denying my heritage and trying to pass as being American! Forget the fact that I was born and raised
in the U.S.

I do have some Ethiopian lineage, but I am far from being 100% Ethio. I appreciate Ethiopian culture, and love so much about it. Hey, I’m proud that Ethiopian blood runs through my veins! I think it’s cool that I have a familial connection with them.

So in honor of your favorite blogger, let’s roll up our sleeves and get more acquainted with this intriguing African country…

If you’re eager to orient yourself with all things Ethio, Cyber Ethiopia is an excellent place to start.

As I’ve mentioned before, I am known to frequent the Ethiopian restaurants here in L.A. in Little Ethiopia on Fairfax Avenue. Ethiopian stews RULE!

My favorite Ethiopian restaurant in Los Angeles is definitely Awash, located on Pico.
I previously glorified this establishment, and continue to be a fan of it.

If you’re an adventurous sort and would like to try your hand at preparing this delicious cuisine at home, click this picture to order an authentic Ethiopian cookbook:

And let’s not forget that gorgeous Supermodel Liya Kebede hails from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Show ‘em what you got, sister!

That’s right, girl… REPRESENT!

As for luxury boarding when you’re visiting my homeland… I’m usually not a fan of chains, but I would certainly stay at the Sheraton Addis in Ethiopia.

A peek at their wine cellar may have swayed my opinion in favor of this luxury hotel:


More on the Sheraton Addis…
Positioned in the mountainous countryside, 2,400 meters above seaside, Sheraton Addis represents African elegance. Our hotel stands opposite the National Palace and is only seven kilometers from Bole International Airport. Renowned for impeccable service and luxurious surroundings, we are the first African hotel to join The Luxury Collection.

With over 1,500 square meters of meeting space, our hotel provides the largest and most prestigious banquet and conference facilities in Ethiopia. Our attentive personal service and ageless beauty is extended at The Aqva Club, an atmosphere of relaxation. Discover ageless beauty and relaxation at The Aqva Club with its attentive service and outdoor swimming pool featuring underwater music and sauna.

And when you get hungry during your stay…

The hotel offers an extensive array of dining specialties, including distinct restaurants serving International, Italian, and French cuisine. Guests can enjoy the chic nightclub or any of the other six bars and lounges. A vast open-air cocktail and reception area offers breathtaking views, with the Entoto Mountains in the background.

Ethiopia’s African elegance extends beyond the hotel lobby and into our well-appointed guest rooms. Fine linens, deluxe bath amenities, and 24-hour room service complement all of our 293 deluxe guest rooms & suites . Travelers experience timeless African elegance with mahogany-colored furnishings and attention to details at the Sheraton Addis.

Hey, maybe I’m not American after all!

Delicious, rich, and intoxicating are what these Dark Jamaican Rum Raisin Brownies are about.

The baker uses over a cup of top shelf Jamaican Rum in each batch to insure not only the aroma, but the true flavor of the islands. Yah, mon!

Click on the picture above to order your stash.

Disclaimer: Most alcohol will have been evaporated, but please take caution in any case when dealing with alcohol-based products.

Enjoy responsibly, but do enjoy!

I had an intense week. I don’t think I laughed once.

But late last night, I was talking to a friend on the phone and I asked him if he’s ever had a pet.

He goes, “I had a cat for 14 years… He died last year.”

(silence)

I go, “Oh wow, mine too! My cat also died last year. I’m so sorry to hear that!
My cat’s name was Nathan… What was your cat’s name?”

“GUS… Well, Asparagus.”

I think I woke the entire neighborhood up with my laughter. It was SO unexpected!
Imagine someone telling you that when you’re all sleepy and lackadaisical.

Asparagus?!

Today I was walking down the street when I noticed a woman who had the most incredibly silky, shiny, gorgeous dark hair ever.

Girlfriend slipped into a pizza parlor before I caught her eye. Little did she know that she had a fan waiting outside of the shop who had pen and paper in hand, eagerly awaiting her autograph with her stylist’s digits.

As some of you know, I have a hair fetish. If you have beautiful hair and are within a close enough vicinity of me, I will approach you to get the name and number of your stylist and/or beauty regimen. So be forewarned, and be prepared.

That’s right, sister - just give me the 411 real easy-like and nobody will get hurt…

When Our Lady of Brilliance stepped outside the pizza shop, I immediately pounced on her! Fortunately, she was very forthcoming with the pertinent information and she even ended our conversation with, “I’ll see you at the salon sometime!”

She most certainly will.

The moral of the story: Never be ashamed to resort to any means necessary when planning your next beauty strategy. Bold is the only way to go.

After a recent disappointment with crab cakes that I ordered at a popular L.A. restaurant, I now have a serious craving - borderline full-blown Jonesing - for them.

Perhaps I’ll have better luck with ordering tried-and-true crab cakes and warming them up at home instead of playing crab cake Roulette at some hyped-up eatery.

I haven’t yet tried these, but Oprah raves about them, so Chesapeake Bay certainly has my attention. Here’s what they have to say:

“To make our Perfect Crab Cakes, we start with premium, handpicked jumbo lump crabmeat. Once the crabmeat is added to our signature binding, it’s hand shaped into individual cakes. Each is then flash frozen to preserve the fresh taste and homemade flavor.

Enjoy our four-ounce Perfect Crab Cakes on their own, in a sandwich or alongside your favorite vegetable dish. Our Perfect Crab Cakes were featured in O Magazine’s “O List” where Oprah touted them as, “the most spectacularly crab-filled crab cakes I’ve ever tasted.”

Hey - spectacularly works for me!

OK, I thought this was a joke about Hugh Grant when I first read the headline,
but apparently it’s true. I can’t stop laughing!

Hugh - I love you and all, but your incidents are so daggone RANDOM!

Funny as heck, though.

Before you start to think, this chick is nuckin’ futs…you should know that you are reading my shadow. Yes, my Shadow Self.

This blog is encased in a womb of luxury, but at its core are all the bits and parts of myself that I had previously pushed down and ignored.

Materialistic? Gluttonous? Self-absorbed? Melodramatic? Moody at times? Who - ME?

Yes, me.

It wasn’t until I encountered my Shadow in an actual person and had to deal with her day in and day out with no escape when I surrendered my resistance and admitted that this woman was showing me my own repressed desires, fears, and even dormant traits.

So I made peace with it all.

I wish everyone could integrate their Shadows and be OK with their own crap.
Because we all have it! But instead, we usually prefer to analyze the imperfections of others.

Some of my closest friends have a very keen sense of self-awareness, and I have learned SO MUCH from them over the years. It took this long for me to learn to embrace my good and
my “bad” wholeheartedly. It is such liberation when you do!

We all have folks in our lives who think they can do no wrong - meanwhile, they leave a trail of caca everywhere they go. I appreciate those people for what they represent:
our need to pay closer attention to what we do - and do not do.

So today, let’s lift up our glasses and hold a toast in honor and appreciation of our Shadows…those folks we love to hate.

So I heard that Rosie O’Donnell is saying sayonara to The View.

What a ridiculous show concept.

Why in the world anyone is surprised that there is always drama surrounding The View is beyond me. It’s a surefire recipe for chaos!

The sound of a bunch of bickering women for one minute is enough to make me jump out of my skin. Who would voluntarily tune in to hear that mess?

I don’t want to hear people rant about their political views in real life…you think I would sign myself up for it? Only if you paid me. Handsomely, at that.

They need someone neutral on the show, like me. Someone who will zip her lip about her politics and religion, and will talk about IMPORTANT matters, like which bakery makes the best buttercreme frosting in L.A.

So yeah, I’m available. But if you think you’re gonna give me a contract for under three years, you’ve got another thing coming.

You can bump your gums all you want, but I got my eye on you, fool…

The most talked-about new novelty product of the year! The De-FIB-ulator, the world’s first handheld Voice Lie Detector!

Boyfriend acting shifty and shady? Teenagers behaving suspiciously? Food disappearing from your fridge, and your roommate’s evasive?

The De-FIB-ulator can help!

The size of a cell phone, this portable push-button voice tension detector is sure to add a little fun, if not some certainty, to your life. Developed in Singapore, it’s designed to measure varying degrees of voice vibration to 65% accuracy. (Not bad, considering not even FBI technology guarantees 100% precision)

Just ask your subject three sample “yes or no” questions and record the voice to establish a baseline. Then ask actual “yes or no” questions and watch the figure on the screen.

“Demonochio’s” nose will grow and his horns will appear… the more tension in the voice, the longer the nose and the horns will be! 3-voice storage.

Cell phone connection allows for readings over the phone… digital connection actually makes results more accurate! Easy-to-interpret video graphics. Button cell battery is included.

Click on the picture above to order yours before that simpleton lies to you again!

I have to be honest with you guys. I have no idea why I created a Fashion category on this blog.

I am the least fashion-conscious person you could ever meet. I’m not a clotheshorse. I am definitely not a clothes whore.

I am a lover of the classics, not trends. I have no idea what is in or out right now. I think I have failed you as a fashion blogger, and for that, I sincerely apologize. Anna Wintour would grimace.

But I do love beauty products and accessories - cosmetics, shoes, handbags, jewelry…lingerie, too. I’m picky about that stuff; but for whatever reason, I just can’t get into the clothes fanatic thing.

I simply appreciate clothing styles that are consistent from decade to decade and leave it at that.

Dresses are a different animal, though. In my mind, dresses are not “clothes.”
They’re exquisite. They’re from a different realm, and should NEVER be mentioned in the same breath that you use when describing other forms of garb.

Wearing an exceptionally beautiful dress can change your life. It can right all wrongs.
It has the power to overcome evil. Life becomes divine!

There is something about wearing a gorgeous dress that transports me to someplace surreal. If the dress is flowy and silky, I am left speechless. And as you know, that’s quite a feat to accomplish.

The same goes for food. If you look at my food-related links to the right, you’ll see that I like what I like, and it has ZERO to do with trends. I have my own taste.

I cook a gourmet feast once or twice a year. I don’t really fit under the category of “foodie,” because my tastes are so odd, and I usually don’t gush over what other self-professed foodies deem marvelous.

There is a common thread that seems to run between foodies and fashionistas, and the thread somehow ended before it got to me. Yeah, I know- wow, narcissist much?

So here I am, in two worlds, neither here nor there. I’m into food and fashion somewhat, but not of it. Kind of on the perimeter somewhere, on my own oasis.

The story of my life.