The Boys and Their Mother

"William and Harry, Behind the Palace Walls" by Katie Nicholl Weinstein Books 328 pages $24.95

Nicholl is the Royal Correspondent for "Mail on Sunday" and works as a commentator for Sky News and the BBC.

I dutifully read along, faintly irritated by her, "Nanny is always right, dear" writing style. "Although he had a wobble in his first term, William soon settled..." The wobble was that he hated St. Andrews University and wanted desperately not to go back to it after his first term there.

Photo caption under a shot of Harry, drunk on his ass, falling backward while trying to get into a car - "Bleary-eyed Harry trips after one too many cocktails in March..." Yeah, one -- and only one -- too many can do that to a person.

I didn't learn anything new about the princes that hasn't already been in the tabloids, the book was just a chronicle of previous info.

Newsweek, in its infinite wisdom, used a cover shot of the late Diana on the left and the new Mrs. Prince William on the right. Tina Brown wrote "Diana at 50; If She Were Here Now."

Lines and wrinkles were photo shopped generously and a bit of weight added to her belly. Brown seems sure that Diana would have used Botox, had a FaceBook page (Brown generously created one for her) and lived in Manhattan and London. She would have been an active participant in the Clinton Global Initiative.

Brown believes that after some initial sparring that Diana and Carla Bruni Sarkozy might have bonded over how to evade Berlusconi. Here, I think Brown flatters them both a bit -- Silvio likes the young stuff; they're both too long in the tooth for his tastes.

In retrospect, how did "the world" get to be so fond of a woman who clearly never progressed beyond about 14 years old emotionally? Did we not recognize this as evidenced by her spite, her entitlement, stalking boyfriends, look at me? All over the tabloids, all of the time, for a lot of things we didn't have to know and certainly her two young sons shouldn't have had to know either.

Attention All Politicians:

"Begin somewhere; you cannot build a reputation on what you intend to do." James Russell Lowell, American essayist (1819 - 1891)

Note the birth and death years - reversals which is interesting.

A Very Light Read

"Thank You Notes" by Jimmy Fallon with the Writers of Late Night Grand Central Publishing 166 pages $12

This is a 5 in. x 7 in. volume that I'd expect to see at the next library booksale -- in the "Humor" section, selling for a quarter.

Opening the book at random --
"Thank you ... microbreweries for making my alcoholism seem like a neat hobby."
"Thank you ... nickels for being the redheaded stepchild of the coin community. You're so thick, yet you're worth so little. You're like the quarter's fatter, less successful brother."
"Thank you ... trick-or-treaters clearly too old to be doing it. It's always nice to give out candy to the same two guys who installed my satellite dish."

I read it cover to cover in 15 minutes. Perfect for driven, type A people.

Caveat Emptor

The following is a quote from the Prager Zeitling, a Czech Republic publication dated April 28, 2010.

"The danger to America is not actually Barack Obama, but rather a citizenry capable of entrusting a man like him with the Presidency. It will be far easier to limit and undo the follies of an Obama presidency than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgment to an electorate willing to have such a man as their president. The problem is much deeper and far more serious than Mr. Obama, who is a mere symptom of what ails America. Blaming the prince of the fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince. The Republic can survive Barack Obama who is after all only a tool. But it is less likely to survive the multitude of fools such as those who made him their president."

I mention this because already we are being thrust into campaigns for an election that will not take place until November, 2012, a full 15 months away.

It might be prudent to ignore the Main Stream Media (MSM) and do your own research on candidates such as Herman Cain, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty, Michelle Bachmann, Jon Huntsman. The MSM fell in love last time; this time let's run a credit/security check on the new ones. Buyer beware.

The Other Side of the Counter

"Checkout Girl, A Life Behind the Register" by Anna Sam Sterling Press 178 pages $14.95

Anna Sam is French and spent eight years as a checkout clerk. This book began as a blog titled "Les tribulations d'une caissiere." Today this slender book has been published in 21 countries and has sold more than 350,000 copies. The book also got her a new job -- employee advocate/supermarket consultant.

The 46 chapters are all short and designed to give the reader a backstage look at a supermarket's workings. She takes us through the job interview, first day working and then pell mell into adventures with customers -- the line jumpers, fat ladies hiding the ice cream under the celery, and more.

One exchange between a love-struck customer and Our Heroine:
He: "Did it hurt when you fell from Heaven?"
She: "Do you need any cash back?"
He: "Yes, a quarter - so I can call my mother and tell her I've met the woman of my dreams."
Me: Ah, the French are such romantics -- 100 years ago.

There were some amusing, lighthearted moments like that, but mainly it was one long sarcastic snark. Sarcasm, used like a spice in a dish, can be wonderful, but not for 178 pages.

Summer Springs Forth! - Sorta

Today, June 25th, is still June Gloom, a traditional season here in Southern California. It is a marine layer that dims the sunlight every single damned day until early or mid-afternoon. It does not give many people the urge to git up and go!

But we do have diversions. This weekend it's the annual street fair in Riviera Village, the southern end of Redondo Beach. It's a small, quaint shopping/restaurants area, where once a year, the streets are blocked off and various sorts of revelry take place.

Live music -- tribute bands such as Sgt. Pepper Band, Tres Hombres, Purple Haze plus arts and crafts, carnival rides for the kiddies, a beer garden and an international food court which has been a major disappointment in the past. I did hear mention that this year, it would be food trucks, the newest sensation among the Twitter set.

Of note, admission is free and you can park at South High School and ride a free shuttle to Avenue I and Catalina where it's being held.

Yes, summer is kicking off somewhere -- just not so much here.

Close Enough for Horseshoes or Hand Grenades

When we visited the Central Market, Southlake, Tx., they were running a Spanish promotion. I saved their flyer. One of the items on offer was a "Spanish Orange Torte, a rich cake made with extra virgin Spanish olive oil and orange zest, soaked in a thick orange syrup, topped with candied orange strips. 9 in. $21.99."

Two days after we got home, Bon Appetit arrived - with a recipe for: Olive-Oil Cake with Candied Oranges! So, to save you $21.99 and a trip to Texas --

OLIVE-OIL CAKE WITH CANDIED ORANGES
Candied Orange and Syrup
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup orange blossom honey
3 T green cardamom pods, crushed
3 cups water
1 small orange, thinly sliced

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Bring the sugar, honey, cardamom and water to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the orange slices and simmer until the orange slices are tender and the syrup thickens - about 40 minutes.

Pick out the orange slices and put them on the parchment paper. Strain the remaining syrup to get rid of the cardamom bits and bobs and set aside.

The Cake
1/2 cup olive oil plus more for brushing
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup semolina flour (pasta flour)
1 1/2 teas. baking powder
1 teas. ground cardamom
pinch of kosher salt
1/4 teas. baking soda
1/2 cup sugar, divided
3 large eggs, separated
2/3 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 1/2 teas. grated orange zest
1 teas. vanilla extract
Garnish - chopped, non-salted pistachios

Preheat oven to 350. Brush 9 in. spring-form pan with oil. Whisk both flours and the next four ingredients in a bowl. Use an electric mixer and beat in 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup oil for one minute.

Beat in egg yolks and then flour mixture. Beat in yogurt, orange zest and vanilla.
Using clean, dry beaters, beat the egg whites into soft peaks. Gradually beat in 1/4 cup sugar, fold egg whites into batter. Transfer to the oiled pan and smooth out the top.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Stab the warm cake repeatedly with fork tines and drizzle 3/4 cup warm syrup over the cake. When that syrup is absorbed, do it again reserving some syrup for serving the slices. Add the orange slices, dust with pistachios, cut in wedges and serve.

My Way
Buy one box white cake mix
Make the syrup
Serve.