NTDWL: All in the Family

It is rare that you come across a person who is truly remarkable and perfect and talented in just about every way. And hey, who are we kidding? It's even rarer to come across a person like that and not want to (secretly, selfishly, jealously) kick them in the shins. (Gosh, I'm a jerk!)

Not to brag or anything: I happen to not only know such a rare bird, but I'm related to her!

My favorite person in the world just joined the blogosphere. If you love excellent food, great writing, and beautiful photography, you absolutely need to subscribe to my cousin's blog. My Kitchen Windowsill is brand spanking new and already a work of art. Beth is a rare bird indeed. I'm so excited to see how this blog unfolds.

That being said, I have a very talented and creative family-- wacky though they may be. There's a third Bloggin' Cousin online, and his habit/hobby landed him a feature spot on the awesome, geeky, gaming website The Escapist. The third Bloggin' Cousin is MOVIEBOB whose "Escape to the Movies" videoblogs are hilarious, intelligent, and infused with a really rich knowledge of film history (and often feature NSFW language, be warned!). I'm constantly impressed by his work. He also reviews video games and writes written "Intermission" blogs between video posts.

We are a chatty family. Thanks to our respective folks for encouraging our voices!

Out Of Office (ps don't believe what you're hearing about Kaelin's)

Hi, thanks for calling. You've reached Lou. But I'm out of the office until March 6 or 7 or so, depending on how the chaos shakes out. I'm super glad you called, and I promise I'll get back to you just as soon as humanly possible. Have a lovely, lovely day.

Mama's on the move in more ways than one.

Here's the skinny, Loueyvillagers:

• In her "Other Life," Lou may or may not be some sort of education-related professional who may or may not be taking a group of earnest teens down to an area effected by a natural disaster that was not Hurricane Ike so that they can help that area recover by helping to build houses and spending loads of money on beignets and shit from Urban Outfitters. So Lou will be out of town this week.
• Speaking of natural disasters, Lou's Ike-destroyed humble abode is now done except for the fancy touches. Good news: When Lou gets home from her trip, she will be HOME. Bad news: Roommate is saddled with the move-back-in. Coming soon, "Things I will miss and won't miss about living in a hotel."

So to tide you over til Lou returns, here are some thoughts for the coming week:

• Rick Pitino should always wear a white suit. Always. Even to practice. And he should carry a cane.
• Ramsi's Sunday Brunch? SUB-LIME. Seriously, I wish I was a chipmunk so I could have shoved some of that goodness in my cheeks to snack on later. I used to have a love affair with lox, then we broke up. We're back together now. (and that's about as exciting as my love life has been in years... sigh) And $3 mimosas? Yes. Please.
• Young Survivors Fundraiser? No word yet on how much was raised, but I dropped close to $200 on stuff I didn't really need but really wanted anyway. And happily did so.
• It's March. Let the madness ensue.
• It's March. Can we please have spring now, please?
• UPDATE: Forgot to tell y'all that Kaelin's-- home of the original cheeseburger (and my favorite local fried chicken)-- is closed for renovations! We went last night-- on their last night-- and were surprised to find that they're going to be shut down for a few months. They'll be back in the spring, said the waitress and the host. Local blogs are posting that they're closed forever-- that would be news to their employees (and to the signs posted all over the restaurant that say they're closing for renovations... sheesh, interwebs, calm down.)

Take care, all y'all. Likely next time I blog it will be from the rebuilt Chez Lou. Home sweet home.