El Charrito Filmed By TLC Tues!

Cool! More TV coverage for Stamford! The taco truck on Richmond Hill (you know, in front of Beamers), will be filmed around noon Tuesday. From El Charrito's Facebook page:

I also wanted to let everyone know that El Charrito was chosen to be
on a tv show as the top 10 best street food vendors world wide. This
show is going to be aired on TLC channel. We will begin shooting the
show on Dec29th I believe.

That's awesome. I'll surely try to do a drive-by of the scene. If you can go and show support, especially if you have eaten there before, you really should, and please report back to me!

I've been once, last summer- actually, a year and a half ago- and it was delicious. Click here to read more.

Show Me Some Snow!

I went to the grocery last night at 8pm and was surprised it wasn't packed. Was everyone at holiday parties, or is CT scoffing at the coming storm?

I'm pretty pumped for baby's first snowstorm. I do wish we had some clothing for him, but I've been in denial that winter is here. Maybe I can dress him warmly and wrap a trash bag around him to let him enjoy the snow? We shall see.

All I have left to do to prepare is gas up the car. You know, in case heat in the house dies and we're forced to live in our car for a day or two. Or whatever. Click here to read more.

My Photos of Stamford's Movie Sets for "Everybody's Fine"

Hee hee! This Advocate article features the owners of the home that was one of the 3 movie sets I stalked last spring. (The movie is "Everybody's Fine" with Robert DeNiro, Kate Beckinsale and Drew Barrymore, out in theaters now.)

At the first set, up in North Stamford, I met the location manager and security guy. That was this big beautiful white house.

And here were the signs and trucks I followed to get there:













The article features the second set, in Shippan, where I befriended some policemen and said howdy again to the same security guy. It's just a regular house.










The third set, I ran into the location manager, then one of the same policemen, and got to watch DeNiro work. And actually, that third set I didn't stalk. I was picking my mom up at the train station and happened to glance up and see the location manager. He was horrified to see me but begrudgingly let me know where they were filming (bus area).

These aren't pics of DeNiro. I am WAY TOO SUBTLE for that. These are the policemen and the guy walking in the dark sweatshirt is the location manager, Paul. (Geez, I just remembered his name. I am GOOD with names.)










The Shippan set was totally boring. I stood in the road for two hours, talking to the policemen between "quiet on the set"s- except the set was inside the house, but we still had to be quiet. There were a lot of people wearing black shirts and striding around importantly. But this boring two hours were what got me to know enough people to get close enough to watch DeNiro the third time.


And actually, before all this, I saw them filming on Wash Blvd. There was a car on a flatbed being filmed as it rode. I didn't see who was in the car, and the photo I snapped managed to get the flatbed truck, but not the car! But that was when I got my taste of movie glamour, and there was no looking back.

See? There's the flatbed. To the right, out of the photo, would be the actual car I was trying to photograph and failed, because there's only so much photography you can do while driving PAST something.

Click here to read more.

Stamford is NOT Drive-Thru Friendly...

Is that why we're all so damn thin?

The kid fell asleep in the car on the way home from the pediatrician. I was starving but knew we had no food in the house. GREAT! I'll have a little adventure and go thru the Burger King Drive Thru up on High Ridge! That seemed like a "Typical Stay at Home Mom" thing to do, so since I go back to work in January, I figured I'd have that SAHM experience with a nice helping of fries. I had no cash, so I hit the ATM for a twenty, then went to turn into the Burger King. I got a little nervous when it didn't say "Drive Thru" under "Burger King," but I figured EVERY fast food place has a drive thru, or else what's the point. I pulled in. NO DRIVE THRU.

This was very disappointing. I wracked my brain- where else could I get food without exiting my car?

I know there is a drive thru McD's off of exit 9 (right? That's a drive thru right, or isn't it? Now I'm doubting myself.) and I know there's a Drive Thru Dunkin Donuts (exit 6) and Donut Delite (exit 9/Glenbrook). However, I didn't feel like driving that far across town to that McD's, nor did I want donuts or bagels. I wanted fries. And ketchup. And, either a burger or chicken- I hadn't decided.

Instead, I drove home, where I made the risky move of removing the baby from the car. Fortunately he stayed asleep and gave me time to boil some soba noodles and put peanut butter on them. (Delicious.) He's still sleeping, so I'm getting time to blog. All in all this worked out for the best because I got blogging time AND healthier food, but I had gotten excited for junk food. I still wish I had that fast food option for times when the baby falls asleep in the car at an inopportune time. Click here to read more.

Bone Marrow Registry Sunday/Monday

The husband of a good friend and fellow Stamfordite is hosting a bone marrow registration drive over the next few days. One of their best friends has leukemia, so they are hoping for a match. The Monday registration site is on Harbor Drive in Stamford, so I hope some readers can take time out of their day to go and get a cheek swab! Thanks in advance for considering, and please pass the word on, especially if you know anyone who works down there.

Here is part of a note from my friend's husband:

Bone marrow transplants are used as therapy for a variety of serious conditions, including leukemia, Hodgkin’s disease and other deficiencies of the blood and enzymes.

Although statistically, the chances that you will ultimately be asked to provide a transplant are low (about one in a thousand), if you are a match for somebody, you will almost certainly save their life.

The sample process is a simple cheek swab which takes seconds to complete. Indeed, it will take you longer to fill out the paperwork. If you are someday contacted to donate bone marrow, the donation process has never been easier. The vast majority of donors (about 80%) can use a PAINLESS non-surgical outpatient process similar to donating plasma.

The particulars of the two registry drives are as follows:

Sunday, December 6, 2009, 8:00am – 12:15pm
Norwalk, CT
Congregation Beth El
109 East Avenue, “Garden” Room
Norwalk, CT 06851

Monday, December 7, 2009, 11:30am – 5:00pm
Stamford, CT
CRT Capital Group LLC
262 Harbor Drive, Second Floor
Stamford, CT 06902
CONTACT: Duncan at dyin@hdam.com or (203) 856-8148
Directions can be found on company website crtllc.com Click here to read more.

Tiger Woods Home Price vs. Stamford Prices

"Authorities were called to Tiger Woods' 2.4 million dollar home..."
"Tiger Woods pulled out of the driveway of his 2.4 million dollar home..."

I can't tell you how many times I've heard his home price quoted in the news reports. I guess they're thinking that's pricey, but I look at the mansion, and I think, "That's it?!?" That might seem like a crazy reaction to someone in a more isolated area, but I'm telling you, I can't find a decent 3 bedroom in Stamford for under 550,000, so a mansion at 5 times the price, on a lake in Florida, seems like a REALLY GOOD DEAL. Is he in a really crappy part of Florida or something?

Also, is anyone else surprised the 911 caller didn't scream at some point, "Oh my god, it's Tiger Woods!" I'm impressed by that person's discretion.

I tell ya, it's a weird story overall. I don't really buy his wife smashing out the back window of the Escalade to save him, because I don't even think the side of the car was blocked by the tree. Why would she haul him ALL THE WAY out the back, over the center row of seats, if she could just get him out a side window.

Whatever happened was pretty bad, whether Tiger and Elin had a fight, or he just hit the tree as he was running to CVS for Baby Tylenol at 2:30 am, or he was having one of those Ambien sleep-walking episodes... hitting your neighbor's tree stinks no matter who you are. Click here to read more.

Stamford Hates Leaves

I get it, leaf-collecting truck, you are backing up!!! And have been doing so for the last 10 minutes! But guess what! My baby is sleeping!!!

OK, there. I just had to get that out. (Oh, and now they are using a LEAF BLOWER to get what the BEEPING TRUCK missed. Right outside my baby's window.) I mean, I'm glad they are taking the leaves out of the road, because the leaves cause the cars speeding up and down my residential road to careen dangerously close me as they roar around the leaf piles.

Oh, it is quite a symphony of machines outside the window right now. Thank God for "Ocean Waves" on repeat on the baby's CD player.

Aaaaand now the leaf truck is speeding past my house with leaves in its plow.

Every year. Every year, this leaf craziness impresses me. Aaaaand now I hear the baby stirring. Beep, beep, beep. The war on leaves. Because leaves, I guess, are evil.
Click here to read more.

Thankful For... Stamford Edition

I am thankful for...

--the lactation consultants at Stamford Hospital, and the mother's group they run on Wednesdays and Fridays
--the Stamford Police, who I think do a really good job, even if I mostly just see them directing traffic around annoying construction sites
--Vinny's Backyard BBQ, for being so baby-friendly, yet always having plenty of wine and thin crust pizza
--Stamford Museum and Nature Center for being free on Wednesdays, and for having such cool exhibits
--Bellini's awesome, if pricy, baby furniture
--the baby section of Bed Bath and Beyond
--Beldotti's Bakery and DiMare Pastry Shop, for making great cookies so easily available to me
--Mrs. Green's, for carrying kooky organic stuff, so I don't have to drive to Whole Foods Greenwich
--Tully Health Center Walk In Clinic
--new blog, Stamford 411, by the Advocate staff

What about you? What Stamford stuff are you thankful for? What did I forget?

I'll go back later and add more links, but for now, I hear the baby fussing! Click here to read more.

On Spam and Eggplant

Oh my god. The baby distracted me for a second, and rather than REJECT 28 spam comments, I PUBLISHED them. I hate myself, but this gives me a chance to share with you a really funny piece of spam I got a long time ago and saved because it was just too funny to trash. I blogged about eggplant parm, and someone left this comment:

ooo... i am an eggplant superfan! sigh. i want the spicy eggplant sooooo badly right now. with rice.
Here I bought a sauce pack so as to skip all the seasonings! and i will try this friday after work. (address of product etc.)

I like the wistfulness of the opening line, and the love this spammer clearly feels for eggplant. I also like envisioning his busy work week, pining for eggplant until he has time to make it on the weekend, but not enough time to season it himself.

I am an eggplant superfan too, especially when it's in the spicy green curry from Little Buddha. Click here to read more.

Not So Smart Car

Last night around 5:30, we passed through a quiet four way stop, and my husband said, "Whoa!" It was dark, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw a car passing behind us.
Me: "What, did that car almost hit us?"
Husband: "No, his lights weren't on!"
Ironically, it was a little blue Smart Car stupidly forgetting to turn on headlights, driving around Stamford almost invisible to other drivers.

You really do need to be on your toes around here. I can't tell you how many drivers seemed determined to sideswipe me as I drove around this weekend. Click here to read more.

High Ridge Starbucks Hideousness?

Did the High Ridge Starbucks purposefully change their design to this cold, open space, or were they just preparing for a square dance tonight? I don't know, because I haven't been there in a while. I'm hoping it's just temporary. You know, for the rave they're hosting tonight, so they had to move all the chairs out. Seriously what is going on with that place? The space seems very unwelcoming.

My husband reported that the staff was also very "enh." He waited a while for my pumpkin spice latte, then said, "Is there a pumpkin spice latte coming?" And the barista said, "Oh, I forgot it," in a very "whatever" tone. Not, "Oh, sorry 'bout that." I mean, at least pretend like you care.

Contrast that with the very friendly girls behind the counter at Beldotti's where we stopped after for some banana bread. That's what we had for our late lunch today, plus an AWESOME black and white cookie!

And then we had Layla's for dinner. It was a true day of laziness for the Stamford Talk household. Click here to read more.

On Faces: Stamford Chimp Attack Victim

I'm scared to look at her face, I think because it's going to make me feel bad for her. Although, from what she says, she doesn't feel bad for herself, so I'm not sure why I'm being overdramatic about it. I think we've all felt pretty bad about the case from the start. What happened to Charla Nash was, obviously, terrible.

So, I appreciate the Stamford Advocate's headline:
Disturbing video: Stamford woman attacked by chimp reveals face on...

"Disturbing" is a subjective term, but I'm going to take their word for it. From what I can see in the still shot that starts the video, she simply does not have much of a face. And that's all I want to know. I feel guilty for saying that, but I have enough trouble sleeping as it is without having that image to think about as I lie awake trying to get back to sleep after the baby's nighttime wakings.

Pretty amazing recovery she's made, though. I recall they were worried about brain injury, and if Nash can go on Oprah and advocate for tougher exotic animal laws, she must be doing OK. I'm happy for her daughter, that even if her mother is physically disfigured, she can at least have an intact personality. Charla Nash seems like a pretty cool lady from what I've read about her. Click here to read more.

Baby-Friendly Yoga for Moms!

I have found some amazing stuff in my months home with my baby.
1. Stamford Hospital Moms Group (every new mom should go to this- Fridays at 11- I made a bunch of awesome new friends plus I love the lactation consultants who run it!)
2. Baby Yoga (the babies do the yoga!) at Elements Yoga in Darien
3. Fairfield County Attachment Parenting Meetup Group
4. My latest thing, Baby-Friendly Yoga at Glow Yoga in Greenwich.

I used to work with Jenn, Glow's owner, and she happens to have a baby about the same age as mine. We wanted to do yoga together with other moms, but do it in a way that the babies could be there. I wasn't sure how our crawlers would allow the moms to do yoga, but we met up today for the first class and it went great.

Basically, the yoga studio is set up with places for the babies to play while the moms do yoga. The non-crawlers can chill on a blanket, and for the crawlers, well, we have an arsenal of containment and entertainment. Pack and play, exersaucer, walker, or just let them roam. In the picture above, you see Jenn containing a baby while a mom does a move. The other great thing about baby-friendly yoga is that there is no pressure for your kid to "be good" or "be quiet" during the class. If you have to get off your mat to feed your kid or change a diaper, no one finds that weird.

Please contact Jenn at jennifferahanson@gmail.com to sign up for the baby-friendly class, or for any of her other classes. She is a wonderful teacher, and in class today, she helped me modify moves because I have a) hip pain and b) elbow pain. (So, other moms should not be intimidated, because I am here to set low standards for you all.)

Please pass the word on to any new(ish) moms that you know!

Glow is just off exit 5 in Greenwich, so very convenient to Stamford.
Click here to read more.