My Grandmother: The Original Wedding Crasher

A couple of months ago, I was driving my grandmother up to Bennington and we were chatting about when she was growing up in Lasingburgh and how she spent the time.

She starts telling me about how in Lansingburgh, they found a lot of ways to entertain themselves. And this conversation starts to get very, very interesting. My grandmother tells me that she and her sister and some of the neighborhood kids used to get all dressed up and go to a bunch of weddings. Nothing terribly unusual there, until I ask her how she got invited to all of these weddings she was telling me about.

Grandma's response was, "Oh, we didn't know anyone at the wedding. We just went whenever we saw there was one going on."

Apparantly, people rarely asked why she was there, and if they did, she would simply reply that she was distant family of the bride or groom. She went for the free food and the dancing, and her mother fully sanctioned it since it got a few of the kids out of the house for a while.

I just sat there, blinking and processing this before I finally opened my mouth again.

"So you were a wedding crasher, Grandma?"

My grandmother smiled and responded with a simple, "Yes."

The more I know of my grandparents, the more astounded I am.

Even Though It's Not Thanksgiving Yet..

I thought I'd post some some good ol' Charlie Brown Christmas for you. Not the ones they've ever shown you on TV though, let me assure you!

I have a few friends who work in advertising, and given what they tell me, this Charlie Brown Christmas video about the perils of advertising seems fairly appropriate. Stolen from Keyboard Krumbs, the man formerly responsible for The Albany Eye:



Also, for those Scrubs fans out there, I present you with the Scrubs rendition:




Enjoy!

Rosemary Potatos

Here is one of the tastiest potato recipes ever, if you are a fan of rosemary:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Wash and cut 4-8 russet potatos into thin wedges, about the size of steak fries
3. Heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat
4. Fry the wedges in the olive oil until medium brown
5. Transfer potatos into a baking dish; drizzle lightly with olive oil, and sprinkle generously with rosemary leaves
6. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until tender
7. Serve and enjoy!

Alternately, if you are serving picky guests who do not enjoy chewing something the consistency of pine needles, you can use a rosemary infused olive to still get some of the rosemary flavor in place of the leaves. The taste won't be as potent, but they still come out quite good.

A Timeline of Corruption in Albany Thus Far in 2009

- March, 2009: Following a Times Union investigation that broke in 2008, numerous people in holding positions in the city of Albany, including City Treasurer Betty Barnette, and Police Chief James Tuffey, deny having any knowledge of a no-fine parking ticket system in Albany. It is later found out that Barnette lied, and that Tuffey had at one point run the union that was responsible for starting the system. People all over Albany wonder why THEY had to pay their tickets.

- May, 2009- Albany Police Chief Tuffey is discovered to have not completed a basic course for recertifying as a police offer. It is also discovered that, despite not holding a pistol permit, he sometimes carries a gun. Tuffey takes a vacation. Criminals everywhere begin to feel better about packing heat without a permit, because after all, Tuffey does it too.

- June, 2009- New York State Republicans, with the aid of Democratic Senantors Espada and Monserrate, stage a coup temporarily giving Republicans control of the Senate. Confused out of state people ask New Yorkers if guns were involved in the coup, and show visible disappointment when they are told “No.”

- June, 2009- Chief Tuffey returns to work, despite criticism from community leaders questioning whether or not he is above the law. He stacks up all the law books he can find, and determines that he is not.

- August, 2009- The senate reconvenes, with Espada and Monserrate back with the Democrats, who are again in majority. Pretty much everyone in New York is very confused about what the hell happened.

- September, 2009- Chief Tuffey officially steps down amid accusations that he stated to another officer that UAlbany homicide victim Richard Bailey “ wasn’t just some spook that was killed." The Albany Police Union in turn accuses Mayor Jerry Jennings' office of forcing Tuffey out, and of using it block or hold up new contract negotiations with the Union. A ruler is found, and Tuffey and Jennings compare the lengths of their genitalia to determine who is right in the matter- the Police Union Tuffey was a member of, or Jennings’ office. And the results? It's a close one, but we're going to need a photo finish.

Now the REALLY scary part of this is that 2009 isn’t even over…

Back on Blogger!

I have decided to come back to blogging again on a more regular basis. My LJs are becoming stale diatribes, which is why I have not updated LJ in forever.

As such, I am bringing back Miss Muffet. Please note that the few old entries from the first inception of Miss Muffet have been moved to my old blog, The Life and Times of an Albany Gal.

You can expect updates here a minimum of once a week, and they will encompass a variety of things: recipes, local events, personal inflections, and maybe even the occasional restaurant/movie review.

Thank you for reading, and please, don't hestitate to post your thoughts in the comments section!