A life by chocolate entails finding sweetness in the light and dark. Moreso, it's about addiction to cocoa. An insatiable sweet tooth doesn't hurt. Well, not until the yucky tartar buildup and stuff. To the point, I strive to entertain with topics such as the utter hilarity and cuteness of children; the challenges of dating, my related rationale for celibacy; and chocolate as a precious remedy for it all. Thanks for sampling Life by Chocolate. I hope you keep coming back for more.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Nosey Interview


Note: I.B. Nosey is a great photographer, as evidenced by this picture. Not to sound cocky (Lord knows cockiness is something that's rarely in me), but I've never looked so tall, svelte and sexy.
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Blogland's only official unofficial reporter, I.B. Nosey, recently welcomed me over for a playful interview.

 As a sample-teaser ~

There's a big muscle man over there, a hot fudge sundae, and lots of weirdness. I describe chocolate as "my default." That is, chocolate is de fault for my ever-expanding belly, sagging boobs and butt, and devilish smile that permanently resides midway between my nose and chin. 

Go here to read the full, silly interview. 

Have a great Thursday!

Monday, May 13, 2013

How Far Have We Gone?


Hi, friends.

How far we have gone since I posted this last May...

How far we have gone
How much movement we’ve made
When text isn't a book
But a means to get laid

And those who offend
We simply unfriend

How far have we gone
How much did we gain
When a tag is for photos
And a tweet, the inane?

When we “like” a good joke
Say “hey” with a poke?

How far we have gone
To go viral we aim
Gotta increase the numbers
And stay in the game

How far have we gone?
 
 
I'm grateful for the level of humanity that makes blogland such a unique place in the cyber world. Thank you!

I hope you're having a good week.

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Mom, In Memoriam

Edith Engel, 6/27/36  -  3/20/85

She grew up in Speden, Alberta, Canada --a town so small, it no longer exists. After graduating first in her class at the University of Alberta, Mom was offered a job as Head Dietician at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.  She eagerly packed her bags, bound for a great career move, American citizenship, life in a bustling city, and...

In June of 1964, Mom met and married Dad. (Last year, I finally did the basic math; it seems my parents likely had a shotgun wedding, since they married three weeks after they met, and my sister was born 8 months later.) Mom wanted four kids: two girls and two boys. Dad agreed, it seems, because that's what they got. 

Years passed. Antsy for a new challenge, Mom enrolled in law school. She'd graduate second in her class and pass the State Bar on round one --all while in her 40s, with four kids at home. I'd never seen her so content. Mom told me that raising a family and working full-time as a lawyer was "like having the best of both worlds."

The call came on Halloween night, 1984. "Your mother's very sick," Dad said. Medical staff talked coldly about an aggressive cancer that had started in her colon and spread rapidly to assault the rest of Mom's body. I spent the next five months juggling freshman classes, and watching my mother shrivel into a ghostly skeleton on the hospital bed that dominated our house. Three months short of her 50th birthday, Mom took her final breath.

Over 300 people attended the funeral. Everybody loved Mom. She shone with an angelic, calming presence; an unassuming competence and brilliance; and a deeply humble, giving nature.

Mom left behind a broken family, lost in a world she had made more beautiful. 

I miss her every day. 

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

A Collage of Your Comments



Ever since I started making friends in blogland, I’ve thought about how fun it’d be to meet face-to-face at one big party. I imagine conversations would play out as follows, and what follows are nuggets of your comments in two recent posts: the Prom and Bruce Jenner. Enjoy. (Please excuse the asterisks. This did some funky things when I tried to format it.)
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Ruth said..Last week, I saw on the news that the average person spends over $1000 for the prom. Are you freaking kidding me? 

Klahanie said...Right then, time to pose in front of my full-length mirror...who is that awesome dude? Gosh, it's me!    
                                                                                                                                                                                   
        I.B. Nosey said...Looked more like a leftover mannequin in a forgotten department store.
  Tara Grover Smith said..I prefer wrinkles, gentlemen, except for in penises.



    Mencara Mitchellsaid...Kim's butt was never a problem for me. The problem is the other end. When she starts talking, I want to jam metal objects in my ears.

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    Debra She Who Seeks said...I regard it as a form of high school bullying.
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* A Beer For The Shower said...I went with a girl who said she liked me and wanted to date me. She went to go get a glass of punch and started making out with some random guy. I interrupted them and told her to F off and that I wasn't giving her a ride home. Have fun walking. The guy got mad at that and tried to attack me, so I shoved his head into a wall and gave him a massive concussion.

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Al Penwasser said...That's what he gets for buying 'Face Lifts for Dummies' from COSTCO.
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Pearl said..Dropped shrimp scampi on my dress.  Didn't really have fun.
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David Macaulay said...chortle - oh well. I hear Carrie's was worse.
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Stephen Hayes said..Not to make you or anyone else feel bad, but I married my prom date and we've been together for forty years. BloggerLexa Cain said…"You've come a long way, baby!" Yeah, a long way - straight down the crapper for poor old Bruce.
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My Journey With Candida said... I wonder if he honestly knows how bad he has made himself look.
*       
  Gorilla Bananas said...His face looks slightly effeminate to me.
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Joanne said.. That (because of the rain and my instant frizz) turned into an afro encased in aquanet.
   Pat Tillett said...Granny always said that high school graduation is the great equalizer.
  
  Melissa Bradley said...I would not trade that experience for anything, the dance was a joke, but the company was excellent. 

  
Shah Wharton said...The best justice came late, however. One girl (who was huge at school and got bullied terribly) turned up looking stunning and pronounced she earned a fortune working as a model in France.

Susan Flett Swiderski said...Best lower-the-bar tidbit here is that he only got three reviews in all those years.
*       
*     Just Keepin It Real, Folks! said...Though you would think he could afford a better plastic surgeon.
*       
*      Momma Fargo said...Now...he is just weird.


Pat Hatt said…Has to give him the blues.    Bloggerklahanie said…Oh my, I thought the "Kardashians" were an alien lifeform on Star Trek.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...You have a point!

*       
A Beer For The Shower said...just remember you could look like that and be in the same family as Kim "Functionally Useless In All Ways" Kardashian AND Khloe "Jurassic Park" Kardashian.
*       
*      Cheryl said...Seriously, the most truthful statement ever written farawayeyes said... From THE Mighty Bruce to a Kardashian - oops!
John DeBellis said...100% over hyped.

THE END
Endnote: My apologies if you didn’t see your comment here.  That’s because it was too sensible.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Birds and Panty Liners: Sundays in My City

 Unknown Mami
Happy Cinco de Mayo!

I just toured my hometown of Chico, CA in search of Cinco de Mayo festivities. I found none, and DuPont was in hiding. Darn the luck. Then it hit me: what was I thinking? DuPont and his entourage will be celebrating after 5pm in the local bars. Until then, it's just another quiet Sunday.  More exciting photos can be found at UnknownMami's Sundays in My City here. I've a few random shots for you.
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Trivial facts about the peacock:
  • Peacocks are polygamous. The male generally attracts a harem of 2 - 5 females.
  • Only a peacock (male), and not a peahen (female) has a colorful train.
  • A peahen chooses her mate based on the the size, color, and quality of their trains.
 
I've seen many a peahen around here, and only one peacock. I think he's been busy. And happy.
Note: I'll leave the "cock" jokes to someone else, since I don't work well with cocks. (Al Penwasser? Pat Hatt? BnB? Someone else?)
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$1 for treats? I rushed over to the bin. Well, it's a good price, but I don't think I'd like the taste of panty liners. Someone who loves Milanos is going to be real disappointed when they bite into these.
Photo taken at a favorite local convenience store, whose name shall remain undisclosed for their protection. Some time after I took this shot, though, the astute folks at Rite Aid moved signs to their proper locations. 
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Just a pretty photo of geese wishing you a happy Cinco de Mayo and new week.

Thank you for visiting. Be well!