Reds Opening Day

I celebrated Reds opening day the same way everybody else did-by taking a day off! I met two girlfriends at Game Day for breakfast & met these fellows too, who had been drinking steadily since about 6 am. At $5 per beer, I figured they were well on their way to spending at least $150.

I also ran into Dan Carroll at the ballpark, so yeah, it's a picture of another Fox 19 personality.

Next, we hit Fountain Square for our spots to watch the parade.

And you can't have a parade in Cincinnati without a giant, pink pig!

No pictures of Matt Maupin's parents; I was too busy applauding them.

Questions to ponder on language

I've noticed a disturbing trend lately, particularly from the media. When did we go back to gender-specific language, for example councilMAN, chairMAN, policeMAN.

I'm not saying that everything needs to have a corresponding word including woman. What I'd rather return to is non-gender-specific wording such as chair, council representative, police officer, etc.
With women still earning only .76 for every dollar a man earns, making a lifetime earnings loss adding up to between $700,000 and $2 million, can we really afford to regress?

The week in review- backwards

SATURDAY - SUNDAY

The general public emerged from their cocoons Sunday, but we did it first thing Sat. First up, tromping through Piatt Park with 5chw4r7z and Jackie, measuring snowfall amounts and snowdrifts.

We thought the world really was coming to an end when we got to First Watch and found it closed. But we had a great breakfast at Ingredients, which was open. And we watched the wonderful city workers truck the snow out of downtown before lunch at Margarita's. They decorate all the tables differently-this one is my favorite.

The Japanese work ethic was evident Sat. This place was one of only three open in the food court.

FRIDAY

We had plans to dine with friends for Break the Chain/Go Independent Week. I mentioned this might not be a good idea during a blizzard but 5chw4r7z was having none of it. He was going if he had to take a dogsled to get there. The decision was made for him when Chalk called to say they were closing early. Papa John's doesn't really get it when you're in the mood for a good dinner.

MONDAY

My favorite coffee place in Columbus is gone, gone, GONE! I had a taste for something cold, chocolately and blended and figured we'd stop at the Coffee Table in Short North. For the longest time 5chw4r7z and I called it Coffee Time. When we finally realized our mistake, we just kept calling it Coffee Time because we liked that name better. Making it back to Cincinnati in time, we went to Kitty's on Court Street. My cold, chocolately, whatever-you-call-it was almost as good as what I would have gotten in Columbus. My only complaint-no soy milk at Kitty's.

SUNDAY

Pick up 5chw4r7z in Canton and head to IHOP for breakfast before visiting some of my family. That breakfast was the perfect antidote to an extremely late night in downtown Cleveland.

SATURDAY

Why was I in Cleveland, you say? For Elicia's bachelorette party, of course! Those nice people at the Wyndham overbooked the hotel, but put us up at the Sheraton & picked up the tab! Bonus points: the Sheraton had a free shuttle so no one had to drive. I'll spare you the sordid details; suffice it to say we had a good time.

Shoe Porn

Although I'm not what you would consider crazy over shoes, I had to snap a picture of this after I saw it in Saks the other day. The design, as well as the price, are both way over the top. My husband remembered the pair goes for $675. Shoud be able to swing that by simply digging coins out of the couch cushions, right?

Fred

Joseph Williams Home
Originally uploaded by cincinnatista

I cannot say enough about this wonderful new home store. It's filled with contemporary furniture, art and accessories all very reasonably priced. We met William, one of the fabulous co-owners. William (who goes by the name Fred) and the store are featured in the current issue of Cin Weekly. We will definitely be going back when it's time to move into the condo.

Slick & Sweet

Gramercy pool
Originally uploaded by cincinnatista

Going down to the Aronoff for Sweeney Todd Thurs night, both of us almost wiped out it was so icy out. It was also so icy that I got Friday off-Sweet! Up north, driving in six inches of snow is no big deal, but down here, any time snow (aka white death) covers the road, no one can remember how to drive more than 5 mph. It took me an hour and a half to get home last night when it usually takes 20 minutes. But I still love snow and it looked like this:

Valentine's Day-A Holiday in Three Acts

Act I

I started out my day meeting Frank Marzullo from Fox 19 at his remote broadcast. He's originally from Youngstown and my oldest niece told me her mom was disappointed when he moved to Cincinnati. We had a nice little talk & I love the smoking jacket.

Act II

After a dinner of homemade Chicken Mole', 5chw4r7z and I made our way to Twist where we shared a Valentine's dessert of this:

Act III

And yesterday, we received this in the mail: