Nose Walkin & Trash Talkin: Leo the Lion.

LEO
the lion

I know several people with Leo birthdays...one of them being one of my favorite people in the world - my Dad! Despite working, I have found time to celebrate two Leo birthdays, that of my Dad {53 years old!} and also our good friend Iggy's 40th Birthday! Here's a bit about those born under the 5th astrological sign of the Zodiac....

LEO

Leo is a masculine, positive sign.

Leo is ruled by the Sun.

A fire sign, and one of four fixed signs.

The ruler of Leo is the Sun. The glyph is generally thought to represent the tail of the lion. It can also symbolize the heat or the creative energy of the Sun. On entering the sign Leo, the Sun is said to exemplify cosmic splendor. The meaning attached to this seems to be that both the good and bad characteristics associated with Leo are perpetual.

Through the ages, Leo has signified the coming of thebest growing season and thus reflects the abundant generosity of life. In this aspect Leo is seen as the ordained provider.

Personal Traits
The Leo is a dominant, spontaneous, creative and extroverted character. They possess grace, dignity and an expansive personality. The lion is king of the animal kingdom, and an appropriate symbol for Leo who tends to dominate his environment. Ambitious, courageous, strong willed, positive, independent, self-confident are all words that describe the Leo traits.

Leos were born to lead and are most effective when in a position of command. Leos are straightforward and uncomplicated individuals who know what they want and pursue it with enthusiasm and a creative spirit.

They are not easily daunted, and will persist through the most formidable of circumstances.They tend to be stubborn, and will hold onto a belief, or stick to a course of action through thick or thin.

Positive Traits

Leos possess a strong positive nature and don't shrink from any adverse circumstances. Leos like to live on a grand scale. First class is the only way to go and luxury is comfort. In personal relationships, Leo is open, sincere, genuine, trusting and generous.

They are direct and to the point and lead with their emotions. Leos are proud people, with an idealistic and humane nature. They are basically outgoing, happy, kind and generous. Self expressive, intelligent and broad minded, they are philosophically inclined.

Main positive traits: Dignity, will-power, generosity, loyalty, confidence, ambitious.

Negative Traits

Although outgoing, spontaneous, warm- hearted and straight forward, a tragic flaw in Leo is gullibility. They are too trusting and generous to people they like and love. They are not good judges of character and are inclined to treat those close to them as if they were perfect beings incapable of wrongdoing. Because no one can possibly live up to this kind of expectation, Leos are often disappointed.

They do recover quickly however, and may have numerous love affairs. Their love of pleasure and beauty, and their expectation of perfection drives them from one attractive partner to another.Quick tempered, blunt and nasty when they have been affronted, they are deeply hurt by malice or hostility. Leos can be too sensitive to personal criticism, and when their dominance is threatened they can go into a sudden rage.

Main negative traits: Conceited, arrogant, laziness.

Because of their positive nature, they tend to expect the best, and when things don't turn out as they had expected, they react immediately and badly. Although, they may suffer from short bouts of depression when life doesn't meet their expectations, they bounce back quickly and move on with their normal cheerful and demonstrative nature. Leos walks forward always, head held proudly and face turned towards the sun.

Here are some photos from Dad's Birthday Dinner @ BRACA Cafe in Sea Isle City. This is one of our favorite restaurants. I had the Grilled Shrimp with Sweet Potato Gnocchi. It was served a sweet brown sugar butter along with sundried tomatoes and sauteed prosciutto. Dad had steak with crabmeat on top {surprise surprise} that was served with a vegetable medley, mashed potatoes, and topped with fried leeks. Mom had Tuna Pescatore and Shawnie had their fabulous Cioppino served over linguini, and a bit spicy {fra diavlo}. Kim Gibson, the owner, sent out a ton of appetizers - steamed clams, portobello mushroom ravioli's, and their wonderful bruschetta {foccacia bread is baked with gorgonzola cheese, and then topped with diced tomatoes, kalmata olives, and red onions that have been tossed in a balsamic vinagrette}. So delicious.

Here are some photos from Iggy's 40th Birthday bash at the Beach {sumner ave, strathmere nj}. Iggy is a chef, so he brought down some gourmet hoagies, dungenous crabs that were steamed in some fabulous spicy seasonings and 2 pounds of butter, fruit salad that was soaked in blackberry brandy, horseradish cheese and TWO birthday cakes. There was a ton of beer and champagne to boot - oh boy, was there champagne.