Innocents at Absinthe..is it really a swingers bar?

The trendy bar in my building, Absinthe,is rumored to be a swingers bar, I have no firsthand knowledge of this. But the Dallas Observer said the "code" was to ask for a green napkin.
Tonight they had a happy hour for residents. REcruiting?
The food was ladies lunch style--triangles of chicken walnut salad on wheat and egg salad. Plus veggies, fruit and brownies and rice-crispie squares for those on low fat diet. (I guess swingers have to watch their love handles)
But maybe this is like the early bird for the old folks in Miami so they can get people in and out (no pun intended) before the action starts.
I went there one other time with a tall handsome man. I noticed a young blonde woman staring at him. I told him I thought she was interested in him. He said, "no, she is interested in us."
I have been afraid to go back ever since.

Vodka Tasting

I wnet to a vodka tasting for Effen Vodka at Whiskey Bar in Dallas. I actually loved the blue lemonade. Since it was a joing promotion with the Rolling Stones, they gave out all kinds of goodies. I was toasting with Dallas computer Whiz Mark Wilson

AM I GETTING STUPIDER EVERY DAY..OR IS IT THE DRUGS

Thursday I accidently threw out a bag of new clothes I had bought. I had so many packages when I came inside, that I put my mail inside the bag. Then when I reached the loft, I put it down by the door (where I often put things on their way out)

As I rushed down to a friend's loft for dinner, I noticed the bag. All the mail on top looked like press stuff I had thrown away, so I dumped the bag.

Bye Bye Mail

Bye Bye new clothes.

Then I washed my hair with a big new bottle of stuff on the ledge of the bathtub.

My hair seemed smooth and stiff, but not clean. Later I looked at the bottle. It was a styling gel.

I am just not used to being home this much

I want to be a website maven

www.travellady.com is going great
www.chocolateatlas is off to a wonderful start--hits tripled last month

and now I am working on developing a cocktail website with Patricia Sherman and thinking of doing an automotive site. We have reserved coffeatlas, cheeseatlas, breadatlas and others and will soon have a bunch of topics going at once.

Is there a 'HIT ME" target painted on my forehead

AS I was leaving my building on Tuesday morning (the day after my exciting time on the Texas Motor Speedway) a van backed into me in the parking lot. He had an earpiece in and seemed to be on a cellphone. At least he did not hear when I honked and honked. The car behind me honked and honked.

When the guy finally realized he had hit me, he got out and said, "I did not see you." I guess he was deaf and blind, but I was sure glad there was a security guard behind me to witness it.

At first he said he did not have his insurance. When I said that I would then call the police, he found his insurance in his glove compartment.

But most annoying of all was after we exchanged info, he said, "Now will you back up your car so I can park." I told him he would have to drive forward as he should have in the first place as there were cars behind me and we could not all back up just for him. He hit the gas and sped out.

I could not believe I had another accident. My friend Marilyn McCray told me her accident story


>Hi Madelyn,
>I hope your back is feeling better. I had a similar accident when I
>lived in Rochester. The day I was released from care, I was sitting in
>the very same intersection which was the scene of the crime. Looked in
>the rear view mirror only to see a car looming large on the horizon.
>The person who hit me that time was a med student who had been on a 36
>hour shft. Word to the wise, don't return to the scene of your original
>accident!
>Hope you will feel better soon. Sad to think of the Travel Lady being
>grounded.
>Marilyn
>

I had a chance to test drive a Hyundai Sonata

I had never been to the tExas Motor Speedway--and then on Tuesday I had a chance to test drive the all-new 2006 Sonata Hyundai.
I loved it. About a dozen or so Automotive Writers met at the Doral Tesaro for breakfast. After a presentation on the new features, we picked our cars. Following detailed maps, we toured the area and then met at a park to get drinks, snacks, and change cars and drivers.

The most exciting part came at the end when at the Texas Motor Speedway, race car instructors joined us in the cars to demonstrate the braking and manueverability.

Pretty exciting stuff for a girl who failed drivers ed because she had an accident in the drivers ed car. But that is another story.

Oops no postings from Tale of the Cocktail

Am I hung-over from five days of drinking cocktails? No, just exhausted from trying to travel with a bad back. I never thought about how much energ it takes to travel. I came home late Saturday and crashed all day Sunday. I forgot where I left my car and got a ticket.

Went to doctor today and did not get much else done. I seem to get behinder every day.

The good news is I got another invite to Italy, and this would be my third trip in less than a year. I also think I got invited to Germany.

And I still have not unpacked from New Orleans

Tale of the Cocktails

Just got back from New Orleans. I was at an event sponsored by Southern Comfort called Tale of the Cocktails.
Imagine having the professional responsiblity to drink dozens of cocktails a day. And then imagine who else is doing it with you. Met lots of fun people and hope to go back again next year. Also had some fabulous meals...but then you expect that in New Orleans. My two favorite restaurants this trip were Cuvee and Cobalt.
Also did spa treatments and some shopping.
Stayed at the Monteleone Hotel which is a great historic hotel. I was in a corner suite with two bathrooms and loved every minute of it. All the speakers and journalists got goodie bags with amazing coupons for free meals and drinks and gifts.

Madelyn's New Orleans Schedule

I always wanted an easy way to post my schedule. So people who want to know, can find it.
And people who don't care won't be bombarded with emails of my itinerary

New Orleans august 2005 schedule******************


American Airlines Flight Number: 2238 Coach Class S
Depart: Dallas/Ft Worth, TX 08:54AM August 15, 2005
Arrive: New Orleans, LA 10:17AM August 15, 2005


August 15, to August 20
Hotel Monteleone
214 Royal St.



Monday August 15
Lunch open

Bamboozed spa treatment (arrive early) 3-5
At Belladonna
Lauren MassetGuest Services ManagerBelladonna Day Spa2900 Magazine StreetNew Orleans, Louisiana 70115504.891.4393www.belladonnadayspa.com

6:30 dinner with Eric Johnson at Cuvee

Tuesday August 16
Monteleone spa Sandy Blum, the owner of Spa Aria
2:15 facial and eye treatment
Lunch open
Dinner 6:30 at Brennans with Eric Johnson

Wednesday August 17
Shopping story day
Lunch open?

“Tales of the Cocktail”, the three-day event, dedicated to celebrating the history and culture of dining and drinking in New Orleans, will take place on Thursday, Aug. 18, Friday, Aug. 19, and Saturday, August 20th at the Hotel Monteleone and other French Quarter locations. The event will feature dinner pairings, book signings, culinary demonstrations, a cocktail clinic, industry seminars, film screening, dine and design luncheon, entertainment, celebrity bartenders, a VIP tour and more.

As a VIP guest of Tales of the Cocktail we would like to make you aware of the events and invite you to participate in all of them. The two-day celebration will feature the following events:

“Welcome Dinner”
Wednesday, August 18, 7:30 p.m. cocktails and dinner
Café Giovanni
117 Decatur Street
Please join us as we bring together our VIP’s, authors, media and sponsors for a New Orleans welcome dinner.
RSVP 504-299-0404

YES





Breakfast
Thursday, August 19, 9a.m.
Court of Two Sisters
613 Royal Street
Come enjoy a sumptuous southern breakfast of classic style eggs, bacon, grits, biscuits and gravy. With beverages and eye openers.
RSVP (504) 299-0404

YES

Lunch open

Bitters Panel Discussion - led by Phil Greene
Napoleon House
Thursday, August 18th, 1:30 p.m.
500 Chartres Street
Free
Phil Greene is an author and descendant of Antoine Amedee Peychaud, the 19th century New Orleans pharmacist who concocted Peychaud’s Bitters and is credited with coining the term “cocktail.” Phil’s discussion will include the history of bitters.
RSVP (504)558-1820

Spirits U - led by Chris Morris
Thursday, August 18th, 3 p.m.
Arnaud’s Restaurant
813 Bienville Street
Free
Chris Morris of Brown-Forman will discuss the universality of whiskey, its origins and production of how it became Americanized.
RSVP (504)558-1820
YES


Cocktail Hour
Thursday, August 18, 5:30p.m.-7:30p.m.
Hotel Monteleone
214 Royal St.

Free
Meet and greet authors of famous books, purchase autographed copies, and sample their signature cocktails. Taste classic dishes with a twist, by local chefs who conduct cooking demonstrations with New Orleans own Southern Comfort. Meet our celebrity bartender and enter a raffle to win a Southern Comfort bar.
RSVP (504)558-1820

YES

Spirited Dinners
Thursday, August 18, 8 p.m.
Various Locations
Enjoy a fine dining experience in one of 19 famous New Orleans restaurant with a unique menu, specially designed by the chef and a cocktail book author. Each menu will be served with complementing cocktails and spirits. Mingle with the authors and learn how to prepare unique cocktails. For a complete list of restaurants and menus visit www.talesofthecocktail.com. RSVP online or call (504) 558-1820.
COBALT

Breakfast
Friday, August 19, 9a.m.
New Orleans Pharmacy Museum
514 Chartres St.
RSVP (504) 299-0404

YES



Dine and Design Luncheon
Friday, August 19th, Noon
Brennan’s Restaurant
417 Royal Street
$35
Join author and designer Beverly Church for a lesson in party planning and entertaining. Enjoy a fabulous meal, complete with cocktails and wine and leave with great ideas for table settings, party favors and special events.
Call (504) 558-1820 to RSVP

YES

Bartending Consulting as a Profession Panel Discussion – led by Dale DeGroff
Friday, August 19th, 2:30 p.m.
Ritz-Carlton Library Lounge
921 Canal Street
Free
Dale DeGroff, author of “The Craft of the Cocktail,” consults around the world, developing drink menus for restaurants and training the next generation of world-class bartenders. DeGroff will discuss how to start, run, and market a professional bartending consulting business and the hospitality industry today.
Call (504) 558-1820 to RSVP
NO

ALTERNATE TOUR SOUTHERN COMFORT 3:30 FRIDAY
VIP Southern Comfort Cocktail Tour
Gray Line Lighthouse
Toulouse Street at the River
$24
Take the walking tour that explores history – with a twist – in New Orleans’ oldest and most renowned bars and restaurants. Special guest, Kerri McCaffety, author of “Obituary Cocktail,” on which the tour is inspired, will accompany tour guide Joe Gendusa.
RSVP (504) 569-1401




Hollywood and Cocktails Seminar/Film Screening – led by director Peter Moody
Friday, August 19th, 5:30 p.m.
Antoine’s Restaurant
713 St. Louis Street
Free
View Peter Moody’s first feature length film, “Olive or Twist,” as it traces the history of the U.S. through the martini, from the industrial revolution to the present, and learn about the role of cocktails in Hollywood.
Call (504) 558-1820 to RSVP

YES ESPECIALLY INTERESTED IN THIS AS I REVIEW MOVIES.

Mad Dogs and Englishmen
Saturday, August 20, 11:30 a.m.
Led by Anistatia Miller and Jared Brown
Muriel’s Jackson Square
801 Chartres St.
Free
Authors Miller and Brown drink (and write) for a living. Join them as they present cool cocktails for the dog days of summer. Classics such as the Mojito, Tom Collins, and Margarita will be presented along with their history and the famous people who drank them.

YES


Mix It Up
Saturday, August 20th, 6-9 p.m.
2000 block of Magazine Street
Listen to music, shop, enjoy cocktails by Southern Comfort and celebrate at the final Tales of the Cocktail event.


.

By now, Jan Dressler should have made contact with everyone about travel arrangements. Jan is with Navigant travel

When you arrive to New Orleans you will receive a welcome basket with a final itinerary enclosed and gift certificates for other meals and treats from our sponsors..

CONTACTS

Anne 504-299-0404 or ann@sponsorone.net.

Bonnie Warren

PEOPLE TO GET HOLD OF

Belinda LAZARRO
Belinda Lazaro [blazaro@royalsonestano.com]
(504-232-6128)


SKIPPY


Depart: New Orleans, LA 05:16PM August 20, 2005
Arrive: Dallas/Ft Worth, TX 06:50PM August 20,

The yin and yang of my life. Getting a hanicapped parking permit the same day I am asked to test drive cars

It seems ironic that when I returned from the state office to get my handicapped parking sticker I had an invitation in my email to Hyundai Vehicle Safety Technology Test Track.
They want me to test the safety features on a track.
How was I chosen for this honor?
Do they know how bad I drive? (although I have never been at fault in any of my accidents)

Where is the best place to eat Swiss Chocolate?

My wakeup call this morning (literally) was from a PR person who represents Lindt Chocolate. She was inviting me on a press tour of Switzerland for Lindt. I was kind of grumpy when she called so I hope to hear from her again. (I am grumpy if you wake me up--especailly when I am on drugs) I am a lot nicer once you tell me you are inviting me to Switzerland to eat chocolate.

Are accidents contagious?

Last week, my wonderful chiropractor Craig Jacobs told me that his wife had been in an auto wreck. I was really sympathetic.
Today he told me that he had been in an accident on the way from his Plano office to Baylor.

Maybe accidents are contagious. I seem to have caught more than my share.

ARe you wearing clean underwear today?

Did you know that August 10 is National Underwear Day?
Actually, it is not official yet, but a large group of lobbyiest will be wearing their underwear iin public and trying to get signatures to make it an official holiday.
I think the whole movement is sponsored by a large underwear manufacturer.
How do I know about this?
It is one of the fascinating facts they send to journalists.
(no pictures yet)

I must have some kind of underwear fetish or karma. I live in a loft in the old Sears Roebuck Building in downtown Dallas and recently found that the ninth floor where I reside was where they sold underwear. At least that is what some of the former employees told me.

Here is the unedited press release on the underwear day************************

Tomorrow, August 10, 2005, marks the 3rd Annual National Underwear Day. Events for the day include:

-Underwear-ing models polling people on underwear preference and collecting signatures for official recognition of the day.

-C-IN2’s mobile changing station, encouraging New Yorkers to try on the C-IN2 wares, and wear them home.

And,

-2(x)ist and the National Prostate Cancer Coalition’s information center, offering underwear to anyone who pledges to get a cancer screening.

The event, currently ranked as the No. 1 event for August on AOL’s CityGuide, will last from early morning through midday. Please find below the necessary contact information for scheduling interviews or taping segments, as well as a schedule of where the Freshpair.com models will be throughout the city today, celebrating our beloved skivvies and encouraging everyone else to do the same.

Thanks,
The Freshpair.com team

More information is located: http://www.freshpair.com/underwear_day.html

Swag of the Day

Swag is a new word for me. I learned it from a friend who came to my loft and exclaimed over all the "Swag." I thought he was critiquing my housekeeping abilities.
Actually, I learned swag is what journalists get as freebies from PR people. I confess to getting lots of swag and loving it. Today I got some Doubletree Chocolate Chip Cookies, my absolute favorite, from a Hilton Contact. Yum. I am inspired to write by chocolate--this post is just an example.

I confess to having lots of Swag. And I am not alone. I learned that is the term used for the gifts to judges for events like the ACademy Awards. Who wouldn't love swag?

Chocolate Party Pictures

Madelyn loves chocolate

Went to Mikki Mallow's art and chocolate show at South Side on Lamar on Friday night. It was adorable. You signed in with a Hershey's pen on candy striped paper. There was a chocolate fountain with marshmellows, pretzels, cookies, dried fruit and brownies for dipping. A "candy striper" in uniform passed out chocolate covered blueberries and cherries, three to a medicine cup. There was also a candy "cigarette" girl with a tray who passed out candy cigarettes and cigars. At the "candy bar" there was jar labeled "dental fund" for tips. All in all, a sweet success

BEING A PATIENT IS A FULL TIME JOB

I had two doctor appointments today. Actually neither one was with a doctor. One was with the doctor's ASSISTANT, the other with the chiropracter in his office.
It took two weeks to get an appointment with the assistant, but I carefully co-ordinated it with the traction appointment.
This morning about an hour before my first appointment, the chiropractor cancels and wants me to come to his office in Plano instead of Baylor.
That leaves me driving to Baylor early in the morning and probably waiting around to see the doctor's ASSISTANT and then rushing 28 miles to wait in another doctor's office.
WHO HAS TIME TO DO ANYTHING ELSE?
If I don't see the assistant, I can't get a medicine refill. (Somehow, the rules for patient care seem to be slanted toward doctor convenience, not patient need)
Many places charge a patient if they cancel with less than 24 hours notice.
But a doctor can cancel whenever he wants.

CHOCOLATE MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER

While I am home, I am working on my new website www.chocolateatlas.com
Lots of people are sending me chocolate to review.

Travellady is Grounded

After ten years of touring the world, meeting the best chefs, sleeping in the best beds, I am temporarily grounded from a car accident.
I was innocently stopped at a traffic light, when a young kid in the next lane rear-ended me so hard two other cars stopped in front of me were involved.
It took two emergency people to open my car door.
The car was totalled.
A tow truck came and took it away.
If you ever have an accident, do it in a rental car. It is a no hassel, no worry way to get rid of it.
I mean you do not have to wait for repairs, etc.
The young man who hit me was sited for negligence, but he then drove away.

I am sentenced to a year of physical therapy and lots of paperwork with insurance companies, doctors, car rental people and etc.

Instead of going to exotic destinations, I now visit doctors office and wait and wait in their waiting rooms. Instead of a glamourous life, I am not redefined as damaged goods, a person whose time is worth nothing.

The most annoying thing about going to the doctor is the forms. Each doctor has you fill out the same information about when you were born and where you live. There should be a scanner machine and a chip for this. You could get carpal tunnell just from filling out forms.