December 15, 2008
On Saturday me and E3 went into downtown Atlanta to give out the sack lunches I made that morning. Each lunch included a cheese and bologna sandwich, a bag of chips and a Christmas cake from Little Debbie. We went down to Hurt Park which is across the street from Georgia State University. E3 had to stay in the car due to no parking.
I have to tell you that I have worked in soup kitchens, packed food for shut-ins and served dinner to parolees. I have handed out lunches before but not this amount. Nothing prepared me for this. I did not even get into the park. I was immediately swarmed with people when I stepped onto the sidewalk. Every lunch was gone in under 10 minutes. E3 said that as he watched people look in their sacks that they got big smiles when they pulled out the Christmas cakes.
What was heartbreaking was when I ran out of lunches. I should have brought 200 instead of 50.
I spent MAX $90 on the whole thing. It was time and money well spent.
December 11, 2008
A lot in my world. I am working on some different projects for work, finishing up with my Provisionals, starting some new responsibilities the High, ignoring Christmas, etc.
To be honest, I am not in the mood this year. AGAIN. Unfortunately, I don’t get to go on vacation this year and forget it all.
The last couple of weeks have just about pushed me to my breaking point. But like my friends say, “You can handle anything.”
My contribution to the Holiday season will happen this Saturday. Myself and E3 will be driving around different areas of Atlanta handing out sack lunches to the ever growing homeless population. A population I see everyday and am doing what I can to help.
In regards to this blog and my lack of posting or really getting to personal on it. Thank you to the few of you who still read. Hopefully, I will get my Las Vegas and events pictures up soon.
I look forward to the New Year and the goals I have set for myself. And I hope you come along with me.
December 8, 2008
Thanks to my Aunt M. for this recipe. I made it on Saturday for the game along with queso for nachos.
The chili was the right consistency for hot dogs. It was not to chunky.
The only thing I added was hot sauce and left out the sugar. Not enough kick for our tastes.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
2 cups chopped yellow onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (15-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, broken in pieces, with juices
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups water
Make the chili: Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the meat and stir with a long-handled wooden spoon to break up the pieces. Cook, stirring, until the meat is brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, chili powder, Essence, cumin, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the squeezed tomatoes, tomato paste, and water to the pot. Stir well and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the chili from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
December 6, 2008
I wish I was going to the game today. Oh well, it will be fun watching on tv.
November 26, 2008
I hope you have a lovely holiday.
E3 and I are leaving for a much needed break. To Las Vegas. I know, kind of odd, but that is where we are going.
See you next week.
Love,
Leslie
November 25, 2008
The Atlanta airport is one of my least favorite places in the world. And I am there rather often. It never ceases to amaze me how people still do not understand the security rules and are oblivious to their fellow passengers that are WAITING for them to MOVE.
Below is an article from MSNBC regarding the new lanes to be aware of. And seriously, if you are not an expert don’t get in the expert lanes.
Atlanta airport adds new security lanes, signage
TSA unveils signs directing passengers to lanes that best fit their needs
The Associated Press
updated 3:36 p.m. ET, Tues., Oct. 28, 2008
ATLANTA - Ten new security lanes to speed up the security screening process have been added at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as part of a nearly $26 million customer service investment at the world’s busiest airport.
Four of the new lanes are in the South terminal and the remaining six new lanes are in the North terminal. The additions bring the total number of security lanes to 32.
The notion of separate lines for different types of fliers isn’t a new one for the TSA. The agency has been experimenting with them for several months, and with good results.
By the end of October, the TSA will have self-select lanes operating in 46 airports across the nation.
“Everyday, approximately 300,00 passengers use self-select lanes, and that’s equal to about 15 percent of the entire traveling public,” TSA spokesperson Lara Uselding said.
“Program-wide, the expert lanes have seen an average 21 percent increase in throughput, while the alarm rates for the family lanes are down an average of 11 percent,” she added.
The lanes — Expert, Casual and Family/Special Assistance — direct fliers based on their needs and knowledge.
“Thanks to these new lanes, we will be able to further reduce the time it takes for our customers to make their way through the security screening process,” airport general manager Ben DeCosta told a news conference Tuesday.
The airport aims for security checkpoint wait times that never exceed 20 minutes and tries to keep the average wait down to between five and 10 minutes, he said. He noted that during the busiest period this summer, the airport managed to reduce the number of wait times exceeding 20 minutes by almost 90 percent as compared to last year.
A new sign system directing passengers to the airport’s security lanes based on their level of air travel experience is also in place, said Transportation Safety Administration central area director Gerald Chapman.
The new signs are similar to those on a ski slope: black diamonds for expert, elite or frequent business fliers; blue squares for casual travelers who may have carryons but who have a basic understanding of security rules; and green circles for passengers with young children or who have special needs. The airport also has premium passenger lanes for certain airline customers, DeCosta said.
Chapman said 45 other airports have already implemented the new signs and have seen a decrease in wait times and alarm rates.
“The ultimate goal is customer satisfaction, allowing passengers to select the lanes of their needs and according to their experience and also to enhance our security,” Chapman said.
U.S Customs and Border Protection is now offering its Global Entry Program at Hartsfield-Jackson for select U.S. citizens and U.S. lawful permanent residents who are at least 14 years old. The program grants participants the convenience of prescreening and exemption from routine questioning to expedite their entry into the U.S.
The voluntary program, which requires an enrollment fee, allows registered participants to use a self-service kiosk to report their arrival, scan their passport or permanent residency card, submit their fingerprints for biometric verification, and make a CBP declaration at the touch-screen kiosk. The kiosk then takes a digital photograph of the traveler as part of the transaction record, issues a receipt and directs the traveler to baggage claim and the exit. Global Entry participants may still be selected randomly by CBP officers for additional screening at any time in the process.
Hartsfield-Jackson is the world’s busiest airport, with more than 89 million passengers passing through annually.
Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines Inc. and AirTran Airways, a unit of Orlando, Fla.-based AirTran Holdings Inc., have their main hubs in Atlanta.
© 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27418008/
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© 2008 MSNBC.com
November 21, 2008
It is has been another hectic week. Had a few bumps, but thankfully, today is Friday. It is very chilly here and I am looking forward to staying IN this weekend.
Last night, I did go out to the Little Black Dress event held at Belk for JLA. The store was closed down for private shopping for the members. Food was provided by Aquanox. And there was plenty of champagne.
A 20% of discount was offered throughout the store except for select merchandise. The select merchandise included anything I wanted such as Lacoste, Lilly and cosmetics.
I took my sister so she could more of a feel for a League event. She thoroughly enjoyed herself and hopes to join next fall.
The highlight of my night was getting for pieces of this past summer Lilly P. for $64. It was a savings of $352. I was just beyond thrilled. Now, if they would just mark the Fall merchandise down like that!
November 19, 2008
On Monday I played hooky from work with my Mom and Sister and we all went to High Arts Day.
The festivities started at 8 am with private shopping and breakfast at Bloomingdale’s. 10% of anything purchased went to the Museum.
Then we visited two homes in Buckhead that recently been renovated and had large art collections. They were very beautiful. One of the homes had recently been in House Beautiful. (I think that is the correct magazine.)
After that everyone went the Museum. The highlights included a silent auction, a 3 course lunch and a private viewing of the Chinese Warriors display that has just opened.
We were very excited to see the Warriors. But the show is much smaller than I thought it would be. But fascinating none the less.
My Mother got some great buys at the silent auction including a weekend at Barnsley Gardens. That was very exciting because she got a great deal.
The pictures in the tabblo aren’t the best. And I did not get a good shot of my new Rebecca Taylor ensemble.
But we had a lovely day and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
November 18, 2008
My husband has been out of town since last Thursday. He returns tomorrow. But I learned a couple of things this weekend due to his absence.
Rathbun’s Steak is still one of my favorite restaurants in Atlanta. My friend R- and I sat at the bar for 2-1/2 hours on Friday chatting and having cocktails. It was great.
All of my “going out” tops, with the exception of one, require a husband there to zip, button, unzip, etc. Needless to say, I had a fashion emergency.
Cable can be my downfall when alone. I don’t watch that much tv, but this past weekend I made up for it. Every girl movie ever made was on. These included: Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Steel Magnolias, Sweet Home Alabama, The Breakup and The Notebook.
How much time do you think I spent crying this weekend?
If you guessed ALOT, you would be right.
November 16, 2008
Today I went to work and ultimately left due to not having all the info I needed to complete my latest little project. I decided to go look at over-priced things at the mall and think about what I might buy in a couple of months. I headed on over to Phipps and trolled around Barney’s Co-op and Saks. At Barney’s I learned that even though I am told that I have great legs J-Brand skinny jeans are NEVER going to happen. EVER. Seems as though I have larger calves than the designers at J.Brand deemed necessary to fit into the skinny jeans. This is disconcerting.
But I digress. Headed on over to one of my favorite stores Intermix. They did not really have anything interesting, but GUESS WHO I SAW?!?!?!?!
Sheree from the Real Housewives of Atlanta. I think she even had one of her minions with her. Anyway, I had to quickly leave the store due to starting to giggle for no apparent reason. And to send texts to everyone I know.
