My friend Gena Showalter SAYS she's been in Detroit on a book tour, but recent still photos from the pre-production of "Anchorman 2: Enslave Me Sweetly, My Gentleman Lover" tell the real story. If you remember about 6 weeks ago, I revealed certain revealing photos of Gena and Ron Burgandy reading, in BED, her blazing novel, ENSLAVE ME SWEETLY. Now, it appears that Gentleman Lover Pictures has bought the rights to this wonderful book and used it as the basis of Anchorman 2. As part of the deal, Showlater demanded a screen test, and below is one still photo from that test, which by the looks of it went well. Will our talented friend leave the ranks of the published writers for a new career as Anchorman Pin-Up Girl? Only time will tell.

I'm alive and doing well. This week, I've been at the college preparing for the first day of classes (next Monday). We've had formal meetings the last 3 days.

Okay, so next favorite meal is pot roast with all the fixings. My mom made this last night.

Big hunk o' meat prepared in a savory seasoning of pepper, salt, garlic, paprika, onions, beefy-onion soup mix, and morning leftover coffee.

Mashed potatoes
Steamed carrots
Homemade biscuits or plain white bread
Brown gravy made from the pot liquor

My mom's gravy is so good that I cannot begin to describe it. The coffee adds such a wonderful undertone to it. I used to eat 2 pieces of white bread simply soaking in the gravy as dessert! Of course, I have to watch the bread and carbs, so this meal is not a usual one (it used to be Sunday lunch regular dinner).

Sometimes Mom cooks the veggies with the beef, but I think I prefer the mashed potatoes and steamed carrots. She still cooks whole onions with the beef, though. Delicious.

Massaman curry and ground chicken salad form one of my favorite meals. Of course, I also love red and panang curry, but massaman is my favorite. This is Wikipedia's info on Massaman Curry:

(Thai: kaeng matsaman or gaeng masaman) is a Thai dish that can be made with beef, chicken, or pork. It contains coconut milk, roasted peanuts, potatoes, bay leaves, cardamom pods, cinnamon, palm sugar, fish sauce, and tamarind sauce. It is a Muslim-influenced curry, and the name massaman means "Muslim". The dish is served with rice and sometimes pickled ginger or cucumber and peppers soaked in vinegar.

I know the "fish sauce" may sound icky, but it's not overpowering. I am NOT a fish person, and I don't even notice any kind of fishy flavor. I like my curry with chicken. Add steamed jasmine rice, spring rolls, and chinese chicken drumsticks (drizzled with the curry gravy), and you've got a meal to wallow in.

The best place in Oklahoma to eat Thai food is the Thai Raja in Jenkins and Boyd in Norman. There is a daily lunch buffet (11:00-2:00) for $6.95, and it is ALWAYS exceptional. The buffet curry always has chicken in it, but there is also a small vegetarian bar that offers tofu in the curry. The bar also has pad thai, steamed and fried rice, broccoli beef, a different salad each day, fruit, thai cashew chicken, and several dishes with shellfish. Since I only eat curry plus the salad, I'm not sure what all is on the buffet each day. The Raja offers 5 types of curry, and each day of the week has one of the curries on the buffet (Green/Mon, Massaman/Tues, Red/Wed, Panang/Thurs, Yellow/Fri). Lately, they've also been offering Red curry each day as well. The lady that owns it is from Thailand, as are most of the waitresses. They all speak excellent English and are the kindest people. My SSC gang eats there often, even though it's an hour drive from Seminole.

Thai food is one of the best foods in the world. I like Chinese, but I rarely eat it anymore. You know how at the end of the meal, you feel really heavy and all you can taste is the sugary sauces and breading? Well, Thai food does not leave that feeling in your stomach or your mouth. In fact, I feel like my tastebuds are smiling and floating on air after eating at the Raja. Seriously. I've never been sick after eating Thai food, and it seems to fill me up better.

BTW, Thai curry is very different from Indian curry.