Coming back to life

I'm still alive. Really. I know I haven't posted for two months. I was in "keep my head down and maybe I won't lose it" mode. Things have been a bit insane and until the personal earthquakes finally stopped I just focused on making it through each day.

Here's a nice summary list of the major events since July, in rough chronological order, handily organized by month.

July
*My cousin gives birth to a baby boy! Welcome to the family! My grandmother can now stop putting pressure on me about having her great-grandbabies before she dies (for some reason she was fixated on me being the one to have the babies). So thank you to my cousin. :)
*I take a long weekend and drive up to Boston, MA for a friend's wedding reception (YAY for LHK and WK!!) and to visit a good friend from grad school. Flickr pictures of the reception and my friend's garden (BF is an amazing gardener!).
*I move mid-month.
One week after moving the following events occurred:
*Visitors! My good friends LC and SB!
*Ozomatli concert! (the reason for my visitors)
*A leak appears in the ceiling in my bedroom closet, forcing me to take all the clothes I had recently unpacked and put away back out of the closet again.

August
*The leak in my closet ceiling is due to a leak in upstairs bathroom tub faucet. During repairs, the leak spreads to middle of my bedroom and rains all over the clothes I had removed from the closet to protect them. Dammit.
*Bike tires meet trolley rails. Ouch!
*Mid-month my mother arrives for a visit! YAY!!!
*One day prior to my mother's arrival, my landlord has a disagreement with the gas company and they turn off the gas service to the property. The gas powers the heat, hot water, and my stove. So now I can't shower or cook. Fortunately it's August so I don't have to worry about the heat just yet.
*My landlord replaces the gas hot water heater and my gas stove with electric appliances (note the furnace is NOT replaced at this time). I spend FIVE DAYS while they do this without hot water or the ability to cook anything. My mother suffers with me. Great visit, no?
*My mother fortunately is able to extend her visit by a few days so we can enjoy each others company once we've showered. :) She helps me finish unpacking and settling into my new apartment.
*My sister comes for a visit to attend the Nine Inch Nails concert with me!! w00t!! A truly incredible concert. We had a wonderful time hanging out together the rest of the weekend too.
*In the midst of all of this, things continue to change and move forward into an uncertain (yet encouraging) future at work. My new library school intern also started work the second week of August and I spend much of the first part of the month training her. Fortunately she's a quick study.

September
*Work is crazy. The students return and the semester begins. Additional organizational changes at work are announced.
*Mid-month I take a few days vacation that don't involve a pet emergency/drama, apartment drama, or some other drama. I enjoyed several days with no internet spending time with a really good friend just hanging out and relaxing. It was wonderful. Then I returned home and opened my email. Yikes.
*Upon returning from my [far too brief] vacation I adopted a cat to bring my total of four-legged furry children to two. Yes, a cat named Capri (pics on Flickr). And she and the dog get along just fine, thankyouverymuch.

October
*Work continues to be insanely busy.
*The month starts off badly with me getting sick with a fever for two days after getting soaked by rain.
*One of my best friends from college gets married in Louisville, KY. YAY for EH and KD!! Congrats!! KD, you are a very lucky woman as EH is an awesome guy. I'm so glad I was able to attend and had a blast at the wedding (photos I took at the event are posted here on Flickr).
*It gets cold. Since my landlords have not replaced my furnace or gotten the gas turned back on, the temperature in my apartment drops to 62 degrees, sometimes dipping a bit below that during the night. I start sleeping in my long underwear (normally reserved for camping) and wool socks.
*I get sick. Again. With the cold from hell that lays me up for nearly a week when my asthma kicks in and breathing becomes work. For several days after I start recovering I continue to sound like a husky lounge singer.
*The Phillies win the World Series! The city erupts in chaotic celebrations. Mayor Nutter reminds everyone: "You can be joyous. You cannot be a jackass." Fabulous!
*A new leak appears in the ceiling of my bedroom...this time in the middle of the room. I have to move the dog bed so plaster doesn't fall on her head.
*At the end of October I still don't have heat. After 3 workmen give estimates about what it would cost to convert to electric heat, my landlord decides to make a deal with the gas company to turn the gas back on so they can fire up the furnace. Mind you, access to the furnace for the building is through MY apartment...so each new workman means another person in my space.

November
*On Monday, Nov. 3rd, after 3 more days, a visit from the gas company to replace a meter (also in my apartment) and turn the gas back on, and visits from THREE different handymen, the furnace is finally turned back on and my apartment has heat! Just in time for a warm spell...oh well.
*The handymen on Monday kill two birds with one stone with their visit and fix the leak at the same time they get the furnace fired up! Efficiency is a beautiful thing.
*History is made and we elect Barak Obama as our next president. I am ecstatic!!

And I think that brings us to the present.

Good friends and good food

CH and I had lunch at S'MAC on Saturday. All they do is mac and cheese. And OMG. A cast iron pan of creamy goodness. Fantastic.

I ordered the "major munch" size of the Parisienne. Brie, roasted figs, mushrooms and rosemary. Topped with breadcrumbs and baked until the top got all crusty and brown and the inside bubbled. Very much a "grown up" mac 'n' cheese. Incredibly good. And incredibly rich. I couldn't finish it. I think even if I had gotten the smaller "nosh" size I wouldn't have been able to finish it. It was that rich and creamy. The mushrooms and rosemary were delicious with the brie. And the roasted figs added this amazing sweet surprise. I wondered how the sweet figs would pair with the cheese, but they cut through the creaminess of the brie very nicely.

CH chose the Cheeseburger. Definitely a throwback to childhood comfort food with a nice crunchy top crust. Very tasty, and not quite as rich. I think it was the brie that made the Parisienne so intense.

After stuffing our stomachs, we either needed a nap or a walk. We opted for the walk. As we wandered around, we happened upon a street fair on 2nd Ave. in the East Village. A good 6 or so blocks were filled with people and random tents of food (no thanks...still full) and various crafts, jewelery, music, clothing and pretty much anything else you can think of. I think my favorite tent was the one called "Interesting Things" and had everything from tape measures to tweezers! Definitely and interesting mix of things.

Later that afternoon my friend EH and his fiancee were having a gathering on a bar up in the Murray Hill area. Over dinner last night, CH's friend had mentioned a fabulous international market in the same area. So we hopped on the subway and headed up to Midtown. We found our way to Kalustyan's and wow! The place was packed to the gills with bins, endless varieties of curries, spices, and pretty much anything else you can think of. I had been looking for a spice blend called Ras el Hanout for a Moroccan chicken recipe and had been unable to find it. Kalustyan's had it. In four sizes and two brands. Amazing. It was a bit overwhelming actually, and I was glad I had something specific to find. I think I could have wandered aimlessly for hours otherwise. I did see as I was leaving that they had chocolate covered ginger in a bin...yum. Next time.

We left Kalustyan's and headed for the Rare View bar on the roof of the Shelburne Hotel to meet up with my friend EH and meet his fiancee. I was so fantastic to see EH, as it had been way way too many years. He and K are getting married in October here in the U.S., but since they both work in another country, this was the only opportunity to meet K before the wedding. I'm so glad I did. K is great. And it's wonderful to see my friend EH so happy. He and K are awesome people and they seem to be good for and to each other and balance each other quite well. So congratulations to them and I'm so excited and happy for them!

After all that walking, CH and I opted for some hang out time with the dog (Aussie as always followed CH around endlessly, it's so cute!). Some good Indian naninis and hockey playoffs (go Detroit Red Wings!!) rounded out the day perfectly. It was a much needed weekend full of time with good friends and some really good food and general downtime away from work. I'm ready to face the next week now.

Re-learning a lesson

So I'm up in NYC for the weekend with my dog staying with my friend CH. He's gracious enough to let me crash on his futon. Actually, I think it's all about my dog, and he just puts up with me to see her. Figures. The purpose of this trip is to see my friend EH and meet his fiancee. It's also nice to spend some time and hang out with CH as we're both so busy that it doesn't happen very often.

Anyway, last night we met up with a couple of his friends for dinner at Great Jones Cafe. They have excellent cajun style food like gumbo and jambalaya. Their pulled pork sandwich was fantastic. So were the crayfish we split as an appetizer.

We also had margaritas. Good margaritas. Tequila and I don't generally get long, to the point that I had a no tequila rule for 2007 (the result of a night involving too many tequila shots). But, since they're known for their margaritas, I figured I'd give it a try and just not go overboard. No shots. Just a couple of nice margaritas (stopping at two).

Mistake. Big big mistake.

I have now re-learned my lesson. NO TEQUILA. Ever. It's not about how much tequila I drink. It doesn't matter, it's going to make me sick/nauseous.

I'm not going to forget again. This is not a lesson I particularly want to keep re-learning.

Friends and art

Last weekend I had visitors. One of my colleagues, MA, and her daughter, MAjr, were here. MAjr had a dance audition on Saturday morning at a local university downtown. The audition seemed to go well, but you never can tell with these things. Supposedly they'll notify the students in 2 weeks whether they got in or not, so cross your fingers (and toes) she gets in!!

Anyway, while MAjr danced, MA and I walked around Center City for a bit. The day was bright, sunny and clear, but it was a bit chilly with the wind. Still, nice for walking, especially in the sun. We walked to City Hall, took the obligatory tourist photo of MA in front of the LOVE sculpture in JFK Plaza/LOVE Park with the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the distance, and then wandered down to Rittenhouse Square. While we were petting dogs up for adoption (volunteers with eligible dogs wearing the orange "adopt me!" vests appear at random around the city), MAjr called to let us know she was done and to meet her back at the main hall. Her timing was a good thing. I don't think Aussie would have appreciated it if I had come home with a new sibling for her (best to not upset the household balance the two of us have) and those dogs were so cute...ah well.

After a trip back home so MAjr could shower and change, we decided to go to the Philadelphia Museum of Art for the afternoon to see the Frida Kahlo exhibit (it's been on my list!). We were joined by MAjr's friend S. S's dad J generously drove us to the museum and even offered to see if he could use his company discount to get us in. Unfortunately, discounts don't apply to traveling exhibits, but we had a random confluence of luck that ended with us acquiring 4 tickets for only $20 (normally $20 each!)! As we were getting in line, a woman stopped us and said that they had two extra tickets they'd sell for half price. MA and I said great! There's two tickets for only $20. But we still needed tickets for the girls. We got in line, and as we approached the counter, MA saw a $10 bill lying on the ground. She picked it up and handed it to the women behind the counter, telling them to put it in the donations box or something (have I mentioned MA is a sweetheart and very honest? well, she is!). As we were figuring out the two remaining tickets (the entrance time, etc.), a member walked up and turned in two tickets (members get free tickets) that they didn't use. The woman the member gave them to then handed them to us and said enjoy! Wow! Talk about luck! [Side note: I think maybe we should have bought a lottery ticket with all that luck...]

Anyway, we had about 30 minutes before our scheduled entrance time, so MA and I headed for the 12th Century European art, and the girls split and went for the modern and contemporary collection. We agreed to meet up after we'd been through the Kahlo exhibit and then we'd go get dinner. 12th Century European art is largely religious and religious influenced, and includes many church commissioned pieces. Some of the stained glass is so beautiful, and the woodworking extraordinary. After a brief wander and some gaping at the reconstructed stone arches, MA and I headed off to get in line for Frida.

I was beyond excited when I heard the Frida Kahlo exhibit created in honor of the 100th anniversary of her birth would be coming to Philadelphia. I'm a huge fan of Frida, and have been since high school when I had an art teacher tell me I kind of looked like her. When I asked who she was, he told me to go look her up (what a good educator, no?). So I did. And I fell in love. The movie Frida with Salma Hayek was very true to her life, having been based on the biography by Hayden Herrera (which yes, I do own and have read). Frida Kahlo was a fascinating woman, a feminist before feminism. And her paintings are such intense self studies. Her eye was unflinching, exposing everything in her art. MA said at the end of the exhibit that she was exhausted and drained from the intensity of it all. I'd have to agree.

The exhibit itself was incredible. It included a free audio tour, which normally I avoid, but decided to try since it included commentary from Herrera, various artists, and the exhibit curator. The audio did a wonderful job of putting her paintings in context with what was going on in her life at the time they were created. In addition to the paintings, the exhibit included many photographs from Frida's personal albums, many never seen by the public before. Many had scrawled notes/commentaries written on them by Frida, offering even more insight into her life. As MA said, the exhibit was intense, offering the most complete picture of her life possible through the combination of audio, photographs and her paintings. Well put together, well organized, and absolutely amazing.

Overall, I'd say the exhibit is more than worth the $20 entrance fee. Even if you aren't a huge Frida fan like I am it's definitely worth the $20. I could have spent another couple of hours wandering and just staring at everything. I even learned a few things by having them put in context through the audio tour. And I really want to go back and see it again before it leaves May 18th.

We met up with the girls again and after a few photos on the Museum steps decided to head down to South Street for some dinner and wandering. S's dad J had finished his errands, and once again generously offered to act as chauffeur and drive us there and then decided to join us. We opted for cheesesteaks at Gianna's Grille, agreeing that since it was the first trip to Philly for MAjr, cheesesteaks were a necessity. Gianna's is a bit of a dive, but their food is consistently decent, and they have the option of getting fries with Old Bay seasoning (which I love). After a tasty dinner of cheesesteaks and fries, we wandered up and down South Street for the better part of 2 hours, window shopping and chatting. MA even did a little bit of gift/souvenir shopping.

It was a wonderful day. I had such a good time with everyone. I can only hope that MAjr gets in to the university so MA is forced to visit more often!

Sticky Toffee Pudding Sunday

Part 3: Sunday

After our late night, KM and I slept in a bit. PM, on the other hand, was responsible and got up to do some of his work. Color me impressed. Once KM and I got up and got moving, we decided to head out for brunch. KM and PM had been looking for a good brunch spot, and I think they've now found it.

MoKaBe's does a great Sunday buffet brunch. I had been several times, but it had been many years, and I hadn't been since their renovation/expansion. With the added space, they have expanded the buffet to add more delicious goodies. KM and PM are vegans, and MoKaBe's menu and brunch buffet includes multiple vegan options, including vegan French toast on request! They both gave the French toast enthusiastic thumbs up. I had the stuffed French toast, filled with cream cheese and candied walnuts and topped with real maple syrup. After stuffing ourselves on juice, coffee (me), tofu scrambles, eggs (me), potatoes, fruit, biscuits and the aforementioned French toast, we headed home.

PM needed to do work, so getting out of the house so he could focus was necessary. KM and I took a long walk. After all that food in our yummy brunch, the long walk was just what we needed. KM and I walked to the Central West End for coffee and lots of talking and catching up. Again, this was the whole point of the weekend for me, to spend quality time with friends I don't get to see nearly often enough. KM and I usually see each other at library conferences, but we're both very busy so we don't have time for anything beyond a quick dinner or to hug each other in passing between meetings. Ultimately we talked until we were hoarse!

When we got back, CC and JH stopped by to share their wedding plans (wedding in September) and catch up on all the happenings in their lives and mine.

The plan for dinner on Sunday was Schlafly Bottleworks. My only request for the weekend was a meal there. Such good food, and they have this dessert called Sticky Toffee Pudding that is just to die for. Bottleworks makes a point to use as many local products as possible, and with a good selection of vegetarian and vegan options like vegetarian meatballs for their pasta and pizzas (wood fired and oh so tasty!). They also have things like yummy Bison burgers (yes, I've had them) and pulled pork sandwiches that are huge and delicious. I've never been disappointed by anything I've eaten there, which is quite the achievement for any restaurant. Schlafly actually has two restaurants, the original Tap Room which has lots of pub-style food, and Bottleworks which is more of a family style atmosphere and a completely different menu. But they serve the Sticky Toffee Pudding at both locations because they're known for it and it's that good. So to honor my request, a bunch of friends gathered at Bottleworks for food and dessert.

I started with a field greens salad (to balance the dessert, otherwise known as the "food negation theory" courtesy of the Amateur Gourmet). The house salad at Bottleworks has this fantastic vanilla vinaigrette and is topped with goat cheese, toasted almonds, and garlic croutons. I asked for a half salad, which is still HUGE, so LC and I split it (see? we share!). The vanilla vinaigrette is just fantastic...I must figure out how to make my own. I followed the delicious salad with the Bottleworks mac and cheese. This is not mac and cheese from a box, this is the real deal. Creamy and cheesy with Monterey Jack, Mozzarella and Provolone cheeses. I paired my delicious dinner with one of their beers, the Winter Extra Special Bitter. I have a weakness for ESBs and bitter beers in general, and Schlafly makes great beer. I'm never disappointed by their brews. I just wish they shipped beyond Missouri and Southern Illinois (they limit to something like a 6 hour radius by truck!).

I saved plenty of room for the dessert, the entire purpose of the trip to Bottleworks, the Sticky Toffee Pudding. This is a British style pudding, a dense cake that is very moist. And rich. I've never been able to eat a serving of it all on my own, it has to be shared. And I don't usually say that with dessert. I'll share just about any meal, but I tend to be protective of my desserts. The pudding is topped with a warm caramel sauce, and served with fresh whipped cream on the side. Whipped cream so well made and creamy that it has been mistaken for a scoop of ice cream. This dessert is a weakness of mine. Just thinking about it makes me drool. It is so tasty. A friend, J, had never had it before. We forced him to try a bite and he was briefly speechless before remarking it "almost" reminded him what sex was like (I almost peed my pants laughing at that one!). But the Sticky Toffee Pudding is THAT good. I promise.

Sticky Toffee Pudding deliciousness
Look at that pool of caramel and mound of whipped cream goodness...

After some tearful goodbyes, we left Bottleworks. My flight left at 7:20 on Monday morning, meaning I had to be up at the horrific hour of 4:30am. So KM and I didn't stay up too late chatting in the interest of getting some sleep. It was a fantastic visit. Everything I wanted it to be and more. I ate lots of really delicious food, and spent the entire time being with friends that I love dearly.

To all my friends in St. Louis: lots of love and hugs and I miss you all!

Slow Saturday

Part 2: Saturday

LC and I decided to take it easy on Saturday. We slept in (again). We had a leisurely morning. There were a couple of things "scheduled" later in the day, but nothing pressing. So we had a late breakfast (LC enjoyed her Shangri-La Diner leftovers!). We bummed around the house for a bit, hanging out and talking and giving the cats some love. Eventually we got ourselves moving. After a snack on Jilly's Bee Sting cupcake to fortify ourselves (yummy!), we ventured into the world.

LC needed to stop by and feed her mom's cats, and we decided to go wander around the mall near there. Now, this is not a typical activity for either one of us. I, however, was on the lookout for a new scarf. I have one, but it's a thick knit and just not useful for anything other than really cold days. So we had a plan: wander and look for a scarf, which LC wanted to get me for my birthday (we're all about the practical gifts). Lo and behold we were successful! I am now the proud owner of a beautiful scarf woven from fibers made from bamboo. And it's a gorgeous burgundy color. So thank you LC for my beautiful and soft scarf birthday gift!

My visit happened to correspond with the St. Louis LGBTQ Film Festival. Saturday afternoon was a panel on marginalized groups in LGBT films, specifically bisexuals, people of color, and trans people. There are lots of gay and lesbian films out there, but much less representation for the marginalized and smaller groups within the LGBTQ community. LC and I knew several of the panelists, as well as the awesome woman organizing it, so we decided to go and support them. It was a wonderful discussion, and the only thing that cut it short was the imposed time limit.

After the panel, we met up with a group of people at MoKaBe's Coffeehouse for the monthly BASL social. MoKaBe's is this great place with excellent coffee, desserts and a wide selection of very tasty food. It has about equal options for both vegetarian/vegans and omnivores alike. KM met up with us there, having just gotten back into town that afternoon. I had a delicious Greek salad (after all the cupcakes I felt the need for greens), and sneaked a few of LC's fries from her plate. LC and I have an "open plate" policy when we go out, unless it's dessert, sampling from each other's plate is more than welcome. It works well for us.

After a few hours of good conversation with friends old and new over coffee and tasty food, LC and I headed back to her place to pick up my stuff so I could "move" to KM's for the rest of the weekend. Lucky for me, I had two friends more than willing to have me impose myself on them for a few nights, so I split it up to share the wealth.

KM arranged to have several friends (and former colleagues) over for some snacks and beer to hang out and visit for the rest of the evening. PM (KM's partner) procrastinated on his work and decided to join us (how could he resist snacks and beer and good company?). It was so nice to just sit and chat with everyone. I hadn't seen MK, CP or SP since Oct. 2007! Needless to say, we stayed up way too late catching up on all the news and gossip and the chaos happening at my former place of work. They recently underwent some major organizational and leadership changes, and the transition has not exactly been smooth. [I made the right decision to leave when I did!] Eventually KM just couldn't sit upright any longer and stretched out on the floor, and we all decided that maybe sleep would be a good plan.

Friday full of cupcakes

My mini-vacation was all about two things this past weekend: friends and food. We didn't really "do" anything besides spend lots of time together and eat lots of good food. Which is exactly what I needed and wanted the weekend to be. It was so nice to see people and just visit with no pressure, no schedule, no plan. Anyway, onto the food reports!

Part 1: Friday

So I arrived in St. Louis, MO on Thursday night, after a long day of travel. LC met me at the airport, and we picked up food on the way back to her place. Needless to say, my friend LC and I didn't do much besides stay up way way too late talking!

Friday was all about the cupcakes. Seriously. We slept in a bit to make up for the late night before heading out to meet up with MM for a yummy Indian lunch buffet at House of India. I've been to their buffet before, and it's awesome. LC is a vegetarian, so we always go places that have lots of options for vegetarians and omnivores alike. House of India never disappoints. The food is consistently good, and they keep the buffet well stocked. I love buffets like this because you get to sample a little bit of everything. Usually I end up stuffing myself silly. But I resisted this time, because I knew what was coming for dessert: cupcakes.

Literally within the same little strip on Delmar is Jilly's Cupcake Bar. It's still fairly new, opening sometime in the last year and a half. So after lunch, we walked about 20 feet for dessert.

OMG. Cupcake heaven. Y'all know my love of cupcakes. I've blogged about how they are individual little packages of delicious perfection. Cupcakes are serious business. Serious. Business. I've sampled cupcakes from all over the place. Jilly's definitely makes the top three. No question.

You could smell the sweetness of baked goods wafting through the door before you even opened it. Inside, we were greeted to a case containing a plethora of delicious options, each one beautifully decorated and distinctive. No cookie-cutter cupcakes here. And in the center was a GIANT cupcake. The display alone was intense. The hard part came when we had to choose. MM, LC and I each decided to select a different flavor, and then share. This sharing thing is not easy when it comes to desserts (thanks, Mom), but in the interest of sampling as many of the delicious options as possible in the limited amount of time I had, I agreed to share. We selected two of their seasonal cupcakes and one of their regular flavors. MM chose the Irish Hopper made with chocolate cake filled with Andes' mint cream, LC chose the Bailey's made with chocolate cake and filled with a Bailey's dosed pastry cream, and I opted for the Chocolate Thunder, a veritable chocoholics wet dream with devil's food cake topped with chocolate butter cream and filled with chocolate ganache. Yes, all three were chocolate, but seriously, is chocolate ever a bad thing? All three were moist and rich and yummy. The Chocolate Thunder was almost too much it was so dense with rich chocolate flavor.

Cupcakes!

The verdict? I highly recommended Jilly's!

Once we had demolished the three chocolate cupcakes (OK, we did take about 1/4 of each one home), LC and I decided we needed to take a few more with us for later. We decided to branch out and get four, two chocolate and two vanilla. We enjoyed the Irish Hopper and the Bailey's so much, we decided we needed to get those again. In addition we decided to try the Bee Sting (vanilla cake filled with lemon and honey curd and a lemon cream cheese icing) and the Missy-licious (vanilla cake filled with vanilla cream and buttercream icing). The Missy-licious was tasty, but definitely all vanilla.

And holy moley. The Bee Sting was fantastic. LC and I split that one for a snack on Saturday. The combination of the lemon with the honey and vanilla made it super moist and the lemon kept it from being overly sweet. I could have eaten more than one of those. It was refreshing and the flavors blended beautifully. Mmm.

After the buffet lunch and all that sugar, we made a quick stop by LC's partner's embroidery/silk-screen shop. MT proudly showed off the new place, and drooled over the two cupcakes we brought him. By that point, LC and I decided we needed a nap. So we headed back to the house for some snuggle time with the cats.

After a nice rest, we woke up hungry. Next up: dinner at Shangri-La Diner, an all vegetarian/vegan diner. LC and MT go there frequently, so the owner Patrice knows them by name. She's a talker, and is as eccentric and fun as her place. I had been warned to save room for dessert as Patrice makes this amazing cupcake (the theme of the day!).

I opted for the Decadent Grilled Cheese. Six kinds of cheese all baked up and melty on whole wheat bread, served with a small bowl of freshly made homemade tomato soup. The soup tasted of tomatoes and had lots of garlic. And the cheese...mmm...melty and yummy. LC went for one of the breakfast options, the St. Louis Slinger: eggs and potatoes and cheese and vegan chili. Usually MT eats the other half, but this time LC was able to take it home and eat the leftovers. The leftovers verdict? Just as delicious the second time!

Then dessert: the Hostess with the Mostess cupcake. It's a homemade version of a Hostess chocolate cupcake only twice as big! Moist chocolate, yummy buttercream filling, and a delicious chocolate ganache icing. We ate a good chunk of it, but decided to be nice and take a good chunk of it home to MT.

A Hostess cupcake on steroids! Look at the sheen on that ganache.

After dinner we headed out to one of my favorite St. Louis bars: Absolutli Goosed. It's a martini bar with a 15 page menu that changes regularly! It was really an opportunity for LC and I to talk and catch up on all the stuff going on in our lives. And vent about how boys are dumb and some like to live with their heads up their butts. You know, "girl talk"! Over good martinis. In an awesome friendly environment. I love the variety of olives they have, my favorite being the chipotle stuffed ones. They add a nice after bite to the martini.

The day was filled with all good stuff: good food, good dessert, good drinks and lots of good talk with amazing friends. And awesome day. And I still had two more days of mini-vacation left!

Time off

I'm taking a mini-vacation this coming weekend (complete with days off work!) and heading to my previous-city-of-residence to visit friends and relax.

True to form, only the truly important stuff is planned: where I'm staying, and the food. We know where we're eating for which meal on which day. It's all mapped out. We have our priorities, you know. On the menu is an Indian lunch buffet, cupcakes, good martinis, sticky toffee pudding, coffee, a vegetarian/vegan diner, and possibly Mexican food. I'm going to gain 10 pounds by the end of the weekend, I swear.

I'll be splitting my time and staying with two awesome women. Part of the weekend I'll be at my friend LC's place (she visited Philly about this time last year), and then I'll be at my friend KM's (and her partner PM's) place. LC and I have our birthdays to celebrate together again (hence the cupcakes), and my visit falls conveniently between her birthday in Feb. and mine next week. We might have to make this seeing each other in March an annual tradition...maybe next year we'll meet somewhere fun and terrorize a new city. And there are tons of people to catch up with that I haven't seen since I moved out to Philly a little over year and a half ago (has it been that long? OMG it has!). I can't wait to see everyone!

Currently I'm frantically trying to clear as much as possible off my desk, make sure my intern has plenty to keep her busy, and prepare for travel (laundry, what's the latest restrictions for my carry on, etc.). And counting down the hours until I leave...which is now at just about 48 hours...

Weekend activities

This weekend was full of food and a play. Not a bad weekend. Unfortunately, now it's Sunday, aka "chore day."

Friday night I met a friend down in the Rittenhouse Square area for some food and beers. We started at Bard's Irish Bar for dinner. Good solid Irish food. And they have Guiness on tap (naturally), but they also have Smithwick's, which is one of my favorites. We eventually migrated down to Barristers Bar and Grille to catch the end of the Detroit Red Wings game (they lost...GROWL). Not a bad selection of beers on tap. They purchased the NHL Center Ice package, so now I know where to go to watch the hockey playoffs!

Saturday night I went to dinner and a play. A coworker was the assistant stage manager and ran the sound cues for a university production of Frank Wedekind's Spring Awakening (not the musical version currently on Broadway). I met AH and her husband DS for dinner at White Dog Cafe for dinner before the show. The White Dog is rapidly becoming one of my favorite restaurants. All their food is made with local, sustainably grown products, and is delicious. Since they focus on local products and produce, their menu does change slightly from season to season. I love the chicken sandwiches. Their burgers are incredible. Of course they always have at least one vegetarian, and usually a vegan option as well. I have yet to eat anything there that wasn't yummy and satisfying. Lately they've had this delicious lemon vinaigrette for salads that's fresh and tart and even has chunks of lemon peel in it! Drool...

Anyway, after a delicious dinner, we headed over to campus for the play. Spring Awakening is not exactly an uplifting play. It's quite intense. This production was done in a black box setting, so everyone was close to the actors and the scene. It made it hard to distance yourself, and I found myself sucked in to the intensity. The play is about young adults, adolescents, experiencing a coming of age and sexual awakening in Imperial Germany. The overall play is tragic, with one character committing suicide and another dying, and yet another consumed by self-hatred. Like I said, it's quite intense. But it was very well done. The students did an outstanding job playing their characters. The set and lighting was minimal but worked well with the intense emotions played out by the actors. For all the intensity, the production itself was well done and enjoyable. And of course my coworker did a fabulous job with the sound cues!

Original choral music, followed by pizza and beer

Friday night I went to a choral concert. My friends AH and her husband DS sing in a local choral group, the Choral Arts Society. I had yet to make one of their concerts, so I was determined to make it to this one.

This particular concert showcased the works of local composers by partnering with the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Composers Forum. They performed the works of 6 artists, the first five of which were shorter. The pieces ran the gamut from poetry and prayers arranged with original music to new arrangements of existing works and hymns.

One of my favorites was the arrangement of a Jewish prayer for a funeral, the Kaddish, by David Ludwig. It was beautifully done, so serene yet full of emotion. The Mourners' Kaddish itself, while spoken during funerals and during the period of mourning, does not actually mention death at all, but rather focuses on life and spirit and exalting God. I think David Ludwig did an amazing job of presenting this so it came through clearly in the music.

I particularly liked the fact that all the composers were there. They each spoke briefly before their piece was performed, giving us a little bit of information about what inspired them and what they aimed to create. It's not something you normally get to hear, and it adds so much more to the performances to hear a bit of the background behind the pieces. The performance was also recorded, so the composers would have a copy of their work being performed for promotion and personal record.

The last piece was one that had been commissioned by the Choral Arts Society artistic director, Matthew Glandorf. He asked Anthony Mosakowski to do a rendition of the Passion according to St. John. Fortunately, this was not the 2 hour version of the Passion. The four soloists were incredible. And Anthony added to the usual limited role of the larger chorus. Typically their role consists of playing the part of the crowd or the people. But in the scripture itself, it references other scriptures and prophesies. So Anthony had the chorus singing and chanting those referenced parts in the background while the soloists sang the St. John scripture. It was interesting to hear the Passion with another layer added to it.

Overall, it was a beautiful concert. As someone that's not normally a big choral music fan, I was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed myself. The chorus is awesome, and I'm actually looking forward to future performances and hearing more choral music.

Afterwards, we went to grab a bite to eat and a drink at Dock Street Brewing Co. Their specialties? Beer (duh!) and pizza. Really really good pizza and small locally brewed batches for their draft beers. They have this great information board that lists all the available beers and a brief description of each one, which simplifies the selection process. I had their Baltic Porter, a porter brewed with maple syrup, which was very nice, dark, smooth, and had just a hint of sweetness. It complemented the pizza beautifully.

There were 7 of us, so we decided to split 2 large pizzas, which allowed for 2 slices each plus an extra for whomever was really hungry. These are not small slices, so two was plenty for me. We chose one with meat and one vegetarian pizza, which was not easy as there are many tasty options. We all agreed that there hard part of the decision was not agreeing on the choices, but having to limit ourselves to only two! The meat pizza we chose was the Flammenkuche and the vegetarian was the A La Greek. The Greek was pretty standard (tomatoes, feta, etc.) but topped with a mixed-greens salad, which was a nice addition. The Flammenkuche had bacon, gruyere cheese, caramelized onions, and rosemary. OMG that was yummy. The crust on both was perfect, thin while still soft and just a bit chewy.

The only negative about Dock Street? It's very noisy. The building is an old firehouse, so there's not much to it. High ceilings, lack of "soft" material, so everything echoes. Plus they have music playing. Not a place for intimate conversation. But I'll certainly be back to try other beers and work my way through their incredible pizza menu.

What toddlers teach us

About a year ago, I went to the Please Touch Museum here in Philly with a friend and her toddler (read about that visit here). I went again today. Seems to be a good February activity, as it's cold and windy out, and the Museum is basically an indoor playground for kids up to age 7.

The friend I drove down to Delaware to visit last weekend came up here this weekend. JM's daughter E is three, and has a ton of energy. When it's too cold to go to an outdoor park, other options must be found. Given that driving up here is a reasonable drive, and a straight shot, they decided it was a good weekend to explore what indoor options Philly has to offer. E was thrilled with the Museum and had a blast. Rarely are children allowed to run around and explore whatever catches their eye, and that's what the Museum offers. She was enamored by the Where the Wild Things Are themed area, although the big wild thing coming out of the wall was a bit scary (he really is a bit frightening looking). The In the Night Kitchen area slide was another big hit. I think we played in most of the areas more than once during our three hour visit.

Today they had a jazz band, and our visit overlapped two of the performances. And despite the fact they sang the same songs both times, E was just as enchanted the second time as she was the first. She loved the butterfly finger puppets that went with the butterfly migration song. And happily spun in circles to a monkey singing a kids version of "Straighten up and fly right." She was completely mesmerized by the music, and was very excited to go home with a free maraca (JM and her husband may not be so thrilled later).

As I watched her play, running from one themed play area to another, I realized that toddlers are probably smarter than many of us. Despite the meltdowns and tantrums, they really know how to live. We tend to keep looking for the "next best thing" in life, while E just enjoys everything, whether it's the first time she sees it or the seventh. She's entirely in the moment. And the tantrums and meltdowns pass quickly, the reasons forgotten before they're even over - there's something else just as exciting over there anyway. And if it's not what you want to do, snacks or a juice box are an acceptable substitute.

And besides, when was the last time you danced and spun in a circle until it made you dizzy? Try it. It's therapeutic.

What friends are for

What do you get when you put together 3 type-A personalities to help move a 4th type-A personality? Entertainment, of course!

Saturday I drove down to the Washington, DC area. SB, one of my good friends from my PCOR (previous city of residence), has moved to just outside of DC in Maryland. And two of my other good friends had driven over with her to help. LC, LP, and SB helped me when I was leaving, too. If your best friends, who don't want you to leave, are willing to help you move far away, you know you have the best friends in the world.

Anyway, SB, LC, LP and LP's roomie A drove over from my PCOR on Friday (a very very long drive with SB's two cats and her dog just to make it interesting). They couldn't get into the apartment until Saturday morning at 9am, so I got up literally before dawn, got my dog and myself in the car with plenty of coffee (for me), and drove down to join them, a little less than 2 1/2 hours each way. The drama started immediately. When the truck was loaded and locked up, the lock was put on in such a way that they couldn't get the key in to unlock it. Fortunately, we had help in the form of A. He did something involving a brute force and wrench and managed to get the truck open. I didn't witness the application of brute force and frankly, I don't want to know.

This is where the type-A personalities really made things interesting. SB was moving into a small second floor apartment. There was a living room, bedroom, kitchen, and a spare bedroom/office. The bathroom was occupied by her cats. Because SB also has a dog, the dog was put in her crate in the spare room (now forever dubbed "Rosie's room"), and Aussie napped in my car all day (just trying to contain the drama a bit). We all were trying to organize things, offering advice as to where boxes should go, when to move in specific items of furniture, etc. We had a really funny moment where LP commented on how it was clear that SB didn't care anymore so we could do what we wanted now, which SB heard, started to object but then realized was true so we all had a good laugh break. But none-the-less everything got moved in. SB has about a third of the stuff that the rest of us have (i.e. only two boxes of books...right now I have three boxes of books to GIVE AWAY...imagine how many boxes of books I'm keeping). With LP moving things from the back of the truck to the ramp, and me, SB, LC and A taking things upstairs, it only took about an hour and a half. An hour and a half of good work, and we were all definitely tired by the end, but it all got done.

Except for the couch. SB had a full sized couch with big poufy arms on it. Yes, HAD. She no longer has said couch because it couldn't fit up the stairs and through the door. Just before the landing in front of her apartment door there was a right turn. What's more, the landing was small, and had a low and sloped ceiling. There was no way that couch was gonna fit. And we tried. We moved it up the stairs, got it all the way to the turn in the stairs and then realized that the way we had it wasn't going to make the turn. So we moved it back down flipped it around a different way and tried again. Back up the stairs. This time we made the right turn, but couldn't get it onto the landing or through the door. Despite all five of us trying to get that couch into her apartment, it just wasn't going to fit. No way no how. So we moved it back down the stairs and back into the truck to be taken away and donated. Fortunately SB didn't have any attachment to the couch and was willing to part with it. Eventually she will get a new (smaller) couch or futon (that can be taken apart to move it). Sunday I realized that I have a bruise on my shoulder from where the couch was resting as we tried to get it up the stairs. No, I can't tell you when the bruise happened, but the couch was resting on my shoulder at one point as I supported it with my legs on the stairs.

Once the truck was returned, the rental car for LC, LP and A's trip back home was picked up, and a pizza was ordered and picked up (OMG zpizza is delicious!), we all had a chance to sit and visit for awhile. So good to have some time. I really miss them all so very much. That's the sucky thing about moving, you have to leave people behind. Lucky for us in this day and age you're never that far away. The drive down to SB's new place is easily a day trip so hopefully we'll see each other more often. And I'll make a trip back to see LC and LP for a long weekend in March for my birthday.

My legs are sore from all the trips up and down the stairs (despite all my biking), but I'm still smiling from the opportunity to see my friends for the day. It was worth it.

Last weekend

CH arrived Friday evening, and since we were both hungry and I miraculously found a parking spot near 30th Street Station, we decided to grab a pint and some food at Bridgewater's Pub. For a place inside a commuter center/train station, they have remarkably good food and typically an excellent selection of beers on tap.

On Saturday we got up and spent a good amount of time debating food and activity for the day over coffee. We decided on Colonial Pizza for lunch. It's not too far from me, and the reviews I read were pretty good. We wanted something quick, as we did have an afternoon activity goal: the Penn Museum. We chose to get a salad and so-called "small" strombolis. They were HUGE. I'm sincerely afraid of the size of the large version. We ended up taking the other half home, and it was still a meal in itself on Sunday. Wow. Very tasty, but be prepared. My car still smells faintly of strombolis and we could smell them every time I opened the fridge the rest of the weekend. On Monday the smell was still lingering. It was certainly tasty enough that I'm going to have to go back to try their pizza next time.

Borderline over-full, we attempted to get to Penn Museum. I say attempted because it was our goal, but as with all best laid plans, sometimes they go awry. I got lost. Yes, yes I did. Have I mentioned that I don't drive much in Philly? I knew I was still on campus, I kind of knew where I was (things look very different when you're on foot/on a bike than behind the steering wheel of a car), and then we crossed a bridge and took a mini tour of South Philly. Oops. By the time found our way back to the Museum, which involved several illegal u-turns (yes, Jenna, I "flipped a b*tch"), it was a bit too late. We would have only had about 45 minutes before it closed. What's more, there were people everywhere because the UPenn football game was just getting out and the stadium is across the street from the Museum. So instead of seeing anything cultural as planned, I provided CH with ample opportunity to make fun of me. Nice job on my part, no?

As I mentioned, we had dinner plans with KS and RK at Fogo de Chao. I made a reservation for 8:30. Upon arrival, KS was given this pager thingy that lights up when your table is ready (smacks of suburban places like Cheesecake Factory). But despite the reservation, we didn't actually get seated until 9:30pm, a full hour after our supposed reservation. [Note to self: next time make my reservation for earlier than I want, or bring a snack in my purse.] But the evening did improve markedly once the pager thingy lit up. The first thing they asked us as we were sitting down is what kind of water we wanted. We all kind of stuttered for a moment, not usually being asked if we want tap, still or sparkling water with our meal. The wine list was extensive, with bottles displayed from floor to ceiling on most of the walls. Apparently the restaurant is located in what used to be an old jewelry store, so the architecture is quite ornate. High ceilings, lots of beautiful wood, and decorative touches and chandeliers in brass, silver and gold. Quite the setting. The high ceilings made it a bit noisy, but it was still quite beautiful.

We started our meal with the amazing salad bar that contained all sorts of "gourmet" and decadent things including hearts of palm (a first for RK and CH, they liked it), artichoke hearts, procuitto, tomatoes (fresh and dried), fresh mozzarella, parmesan cheese still in the wheel (they provided a tool for you to chip off chunks! so good!), asparagus, mixed salads, and so on and so on. Really quite the salad bar spread and certainly not your typical buffet bar. I could have made a meal of just selections from it. With the salad bar they brought us some cheese bread. This was not just any cheese bread. These were small crispy puffs of goodness, all soft and chewy inside. Light, fluffy, and absolutely divine. The literally melted in your mouth. CH and RK said the basil dressing was delicious. KS and I stuck to bits and pieces of veggies and cheese, sampling a variety of things rather than getting a lettuce salad, trying to make sure we had plenty of room for the main event: the meat.

OMG the meat. On swords. Each of us was given a little cardboard coaster that was green on one side and red on the other. You turn your little coaster from red (no thanks) to green (serve me please) and they just keep walking around. Servers with some type of grilled/roasted meat on a sword/skewer, with a platter below to catch the juices and knives to carve you off a piece. They would set the platter on the edge of the table, ask if you wanted well done, medium, or medium rare, and start cutting you off a chunk from the skewer. We all had little tongs to grab the pieces as they were cut. Each table has a "guide" of all the different varieties of meat (a mix of cuts of beef, chicken, and pork, including sausage); some were better than others, and some so tender they practically could be cut with a fork. The "house special" really was special and I do recommend it.

the house special
(sorry, camera phone pic, doesn't do it justice)

We all agreed that probably our least favorite of the evening was the filet mignon, which should tell you something about the quality of the meats and how well they were cooked. Juicy and crispy all at once.

With all this meat, they also brought sides: polenta, fried bananas and mashed potatoes. The polenta was perfect. It was fried, and crispy on the outside while still being soft and creamy on the inside. Perfect for soaking up all the juices from the meats. The fried bananas were nice as well, having a creamy texture to cut the heaviness. We were not a mashed potato table...the only thing left untouched.

Amazingly, after all the food and beverages (yes, they do serve caipirinhas, and well made ones too), we found room for dessert. KS and I decided to try the strawberry cream, served with a black currant liqueur. RK got the papaya version. CH decided to be different and get the turtle cheesecake. So delicious. I'm so glad we went for it. The cream is like and ice cream, but more intense, and the liqueur on top added an amazing flavor. CH was quite pleased with his cheesecake as well. With the base prix-fixe (all you can eat), plus drinks and dessert, this is not a place I can afford very often. But it is well worth saving your pennies for the occasional visit.

On Sunday, CH and I were still full from dinner the night before, and just couldn't get ourselves going. We spent a good deal of time talking about things we could do, and then not moving. So instead we had a lazy day involving football, work, more football, more work, naps, more football, and yet more work, although neither one of us felt like we were very productive (my attention span was practically nil). And of course we had plenty of "help" from the dog. There were some rather important football games on TV such the meeting of the only two unbeaten teams, the Colts and the Patriots, and while I'm not a fan of either team (go Detroit!), wow what a good game. Now the Patriots are the only unbeaten team. It was a nice lazy Sunday. Complete with excellent company.

Finally Friday

So I actually got trick-or-treaters! The ceramic pumpkin in the window did its job. I'm fairly certain I had some repeat visitors. Usually it was the same kid, but with a different group each time. All in all, just over 50 kids came by, of all ages and in various states of costume (some very elaborate, some not actually in costume at all, and everything in between). Aussie wore her horns on her nightly walk around the block, amusing my neighbors and confirming for them that I'm quite possibly insane. But they loved it. She barked every time there was a knock at the door or the doorbell buzzed, so she was exhausted by 8:30pm from all the excitement. I did have a little bit of leftover candy, but my colleagues made short work of it on Thursday morning.

It's been one of those weeks where I just feel like I'm slogging. [Need more coffees!] Between the leak over the weekend, the leak repair on Monday and Tuesday, a trip to the dentist, and Halloween on Wednesday, I was just busy and didn't have a whole lot of downtime. I'm so glad that Friday is finally here.

Fortunately, I have a nice relaxing and fun weekend planned. My friend CH has a meeting in town next week (Monday to Wednesday), so he's coming into town tonight to hang out for the weekend. So I have an excuse to not be responsible and to play in my city all weekend. I love having company for that reason, I get to do all the fun stuff too! Not sure what we'll end up doing, but I do have a running list of things to see and do (including a Stieglitz photography exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art). And restaurants to try. There's always a restaurant I want to try or a cuisine I'm craving. We are going out for dinner on Saturday with my colleague/friend KS and her husband RK to Fogo de Chao (a Brazilian steakhouse), which sounds delicious.

But right now I better get back to work so I can be irresponsible all weekend.

Weekend in NYC, part 3

First, a note about Aussie versus the balcony/porch. If you remember from our last trip, it took Aussie all weekend to work up the courage to go out onto CH's balcony, even if one or both of us was out there. Well, she's still afraid of the edge, but she did voluntarily go out onto balcony, and at least once all by herself. She still won't get close to the edge, always staying about a foot (at least) from the edge and stretching her neck out as far as possible to peer over at the street below. But she made herself right at home, spending much of the weekend lounging on the couch. Not that that's any different than what she does at home on the weekends, mind you.

Sunday we got up after sleeping in a bit and grabbed coffee from Think, but once again couldn't go anywhere until certain key Rugby World Cup games were completed. Sunday morning were the pivotal pool D games (the only pool completely undecided going into the weekend) so I had to find out what happened. Again, there was much cursing, luckily ultimately much cheering (YAY for Argentina!!) and again, CH dished out a fair amount of grief. Fortunately, I had the chance to dish it back this time, as he was setting up his fantasy football team which also involved cursing and madly checking scores and statistics. We did snack on leftovers from the India Bread Company during all of this. All I have to say is their stuff is just as good reheated or cold. Anyplace that has food that's just as good as leftovers as it is fresh deserves a medal of honor in my book.

Once all sports related events were settled, we headed to Borders to take advantage of the Educators Appreciation weekend. They offer 25% off all regularly priced books, CDs and DVDs for educators (including librarians!) as long as you have your valid id with you. This is an excellent deal, especially for things like children's books, which tend to be expensive. And I needed a baby gift for a friend that's due in November. Given that CH has the same book addiction I do, it wasn't hard to convince him to go wander around Borders for a couple of hours so I could pick up a picture book or two.

Our next stop was a bigger meal. I think this would have been called what my family referred to as "lunner" growing up, between lunch and dinner, but too big for a snack. We had both heard about a place called A Salt & Battery via the Food Network. Bobby Flay did a Throwdown episode where he challenged these guys to a "who makes better" fish 'n' chips competition, and these guys beat Bobby Flay. This place does truly authentic fish 'n' chips, complete with British beverages (beer or soda). Inside there's the order counter, a counter around the edge of the front of the shop with 7 stools, and a bench outside reserved for customers. No tables. They offer a delicious dill dip, malt vinegar, ketchup and salt to have with your fish 'n' chips, as well as a variety of British sides including mushy peas and homemade (savory) pies (I must try the steak and mushroom next time). And OMG this is fish 'n' chips to die for! Truly authentically British, crispy, greasy, hot, and delicious. Perfectly cooked fish and chips. They even had Ginger Beer (non-alcoholic "real" ginger flavor) which made my day. And, get this, for dessert they have DEEP FRIED Mars bars!! Of course...we were too full to eat a Mars bar this time after all the deep fried fish and potato goodness. CH got the large cod bites, and I got a piece of cod (the small, which is still 4 oz. of fish!), and we split a large order of chips. Topped it all with salt and malt vinegar, and it was what I'd describe as just about the perfect meal.

Right next door they have a shop with all British products called Tea & Sympathy. Now I know where to go to get my British groceries (like Christmas pud and good chocolate including a selection real Cadbury sweets) and they even have a tea shop that does high tea and traditional British food. Brilliant! I do believe I'll be making trips back there.

Our bellies stuffed full with fish 'n' chips and plans for a return visit (must try that deep fried Mars bar), we headed back to the apartment so I could get on the road at a decent hour. One last trip through the park with the dog, and Aussie and I were off on our way back to Philly. The trip home ironically had more traffic than the trip there, purely because they're doing some construction on the NJ Turnpike.

Sigh...every time I go to New York City, I feel like I've only scratched the surface of all the good food and things to do there. And I always end up adding more to my existing list than I cross off. There's just so much to see and do. And again, thanks to CH for hosting me and my dog and being excellent company on the various food and activity adventures.

Weekend in NYC, part 2

We got a late start on Saturday. I had to check rugby world cup scores before I could go anywhere. A few key games in the pools that determined who moved forward in to the quarterfinals were being played. CH tolerated my obsession fairly well, although dishing out a substantial amount of grief while I cursed at my computer.

For lunch we returned to the Cozy Soup & Burger. Last time I got a good diner breakfast with a huge pile (mountain?) of pancakes. This time I wanted to try their burgers. I chose the blue cheese burger. And it was so good. The blue cheese was very sharp, and the patty was huge. I foolishly thought I'd want fries as well, so I opted to get the "deluxe" platter with fries and a pickle. I finished the burger, but not the fries. I must learn that at the Cozy Soup & Burger to always get about 1/2 of what I think I might eat as everything there is on the very large side. CH got a patty melt with grilled onions and peppers (also "deluxe"), but he did manage to eat his fries (and a few of mine).

Our plan for the afternoon was to head down to the South Street Seaport Historic District. The area was a mercantile and shipping area, and the 19th century buildings have been refurbished and re-purposed into a shopping and restaurant area. Generally more of a "high-end" shopping area, including a Godiva store. They also have a Museum and a fleet of historic ships, including a Coast Guard ship you can tour. There was some kind of event going on down on the pier called an Urbanathon with a band and a half pipe and people everywhere. The funniest thing we saw was the Seattle's Best Coffee shop that also sold beer and cigars!

Our goal was Bodies: the Exhibition at the Exhibition Centre. This exhibit is all over the world, and both CH and I have wanted to see it for awhile. Lucky for us, the New York exhibition was extended, giving us the opportunity to get to it before it left. It was awesome! Since they used actual bodies that had been specially preserved, going in I figured it would be either really cool or it would be creepy, but either way interesting. It was so not creepy, just really fascinating and very cool, and we learned a lot! You get to actually see how the body works. How our bodies function is so incredible as it is (we are an incredibly complicated piece of organic machinery), and this exhibition illustrated that and broke it down into manageable chunks, while still showing how it all fits together. Different rooms focused on different elements, like bones, muscles, digestion, and the nervous system to name just a few. It was really neat to actually be able to see the nerves in my left arm that were injured in the car accident a few years ago, and see how they connected between my shoulder and my hand. I could feel how they connected, but seeing it and being able to see the "path" they take down my arm helped it all make more sense in my head as to how they were injured and why it hurt where it did as they healed. I hadn't visualized my nerves as being so thick...in my mind I saw them as threads, but they are much thicker than that. We were in there for 2 hours, and I think if I went again I'd learn things I didn't absorb the first time. So much information, and so well presented.

After the exhibit, we headed back to apartment for some coffee and to watch the Stargate Atlantis season premiere (which we had recorded on Friday night...we had gone in search of food when it aired). After walking all afternoon, it was nice to just sit on the couch like a lump and be entertained for a bit. And it gave me a chance to check the last rugby scores of the day (yes, I'm a rugby addict, and I am not ashamed).

Before picking up some slices of pizza for dinner, we took the dog to the nearby dog run in the park. Aussie showed a bit more interest this time, and barked at the dogs running around chasing each other in play, but still wasn't all that into getting involved beyond the initial greeting. So we left the park and walked her over to pick up the pizza. Just like the previous night, she attracted a fair amount of attention. The West Village is a bit busy on Saturday nights (that's the understatement of the year), so there were lots of people and Aussie was feeling quite tolerant about people petting her.

As an example of the kind of attention she gets, I offer the following conversation:
Dude w/girlfriend runs up behind us: "Hey! Can we meet your dog?"
Me: "Sure."
[lots of dog petting and the dude cooing over my dog, his girlfriend was much less interested]
As we are walking away, the following comment:
Dude: "She takes up a whole [sidewalk] square!!"

I do like CH's response to the "can I pet your dog" question: "If she lets you." She'll bark at the person if she's not comfortable with them (she's never bitten anyone, she just barks at them to back off). But I was still amazed at just how tolerant Aussie was on this trip...often she can be quite wary when there's lots of people around, especially in an unfamiliar environment. She must be mellowing in her old age.

Weekend in NYC, part 1

This past weekend I went north to New York City with the dog to visit my friend CH again. I needed to escape Philly for a bit.

My trip up Thursday night was fairly uneventful. Not a whole lot of traffic, other than the expected right around the Holland Tunnel (is there ever *not* traffic??). And bonus! I found street parking about 1/2 a block from CH's apartment on my first trip around the block. Now, the reason I had to make this trip was because I missed the entrance to the apartment complex, but when I looped around to try again lo and behold there was parking. Miracles do happen. We attempted to get Indian food from Indian Bread Company, but the place had a "rush" and they were forced to close early! Bummer. No naaninis tonight. Instead we opted for falafel and hummus pitas and split a spinach pie.

On Friday CH had to work in the morning so we knew the day was half gone from the start. We got up and took the dog for a quick walk and got coffee from Think before CH heads into the office. The dog and I hung out at the apartment getting some work done as well (ok, I worked and she slept).

We were both starving by the time we were done with work (for the weekend, mind you). We opted to get sushi for lunch at Marumi (546 LaGuardia Place). OMG so good...good prices, and excellent fresh sushi. They offer lunch plates that come with set sushi and the choice of soup or salad. You can substitute one option for an extra $1. I had 3 rolls (California, salmon and avocado, spicy tuna) and a salad, all for about $12. My spicy tuna roll was a bit loose, but still tasty. It had been far too long since I had sushi. So good.

After lunch we caught the subway uptown to possibly go to a museum. We head for MoMA, only to discover a very long line. Apparently Target was sponsoring a "free Friday" event where admission was, well, free. We asked one of the MoMA people what the latest exhibit was, and he told us they were "in transition." Meaning nothing special going on, just their permanent collection. As much as we both want to see that (it is the MoMA), standing in line for an hour and then fighting massive crowds inside is not something either one of us was particularly interested in. I'd rather spend the money to go sometime when I can actually see the art without peering through and over people and fighting crowds.

So we opted to wander around Central Park instead. The weather was perfect! A beautiful fall day. I have no regrets about deciding to spend it outside rather than inside MoMA. We started at the south end of the park and wandered up to the Bethesda Fountain and Terrace and eventually up to the Great Lawn before looping back around again. It was a great day for people watching. Lots of families out, a couple of groups having wedding photos taken, baseball games on the Great Lawn, all kinds of activities.

On our way back from Central Park, Tonnie's Minis cupcakes just happened to be between the subway stop and CH's apartment, so we just had to stop and pick some up (you all know my love of cupcakes). We chose a selection of 4 varieties to try (yes, we did split each one like good little children). And they were all delicious (lemon, coconut, red-velvet heart, carrot cake). Mom, don't worry, we didn't eat all four of them at once. We spaced it out over the next 2 days, I promise.

For dinner we decided to go for Indian Bread Company again. Yay! Success! We opted for the Vegetable Tandoori naanini, Chicken paneer naanini, and a Lamb paratha. I don't think I can explain just how good the food there is.

We took Aussie with us on the walk to pick up dinner. She'd been napping on the couch all day and needed the exercise. But taking the dog on a walk through a busy are means random people talk to you. I'm used to this, as it's been happening for years. People always want to know what she's mixed with, if they can pet her, where I got her, how old she is, etc. And they'll comment at random about her to whomever they are with, which I hear when walking past. Grown men tend to "coo" at my dog (yes, coo). CH found this an infinite source of amusement, as he had never really experienced it before. While we were waiting for our food (we got it to go as Indian Bread Company has no outdoor tables), the following conversation occurred:
Dude: "What is your dog mixed with?"
Me: "Basset Hound and something." (my usual reply, and it's the truth, I don't know)
Dude: "And AWESOME!"
Me: !!

No joke, people. No joke. This is now my stock reply to the "what is your dog" question. She's Basset Hound and awesome!

Where have I been, you ask?

I know I've been silent for more than a few days now. What can I say...it was a holiday weekend, I left town, and I had no internet connection for 3 whole days. Really. Three. Whole. Days. And I survived. And then I came home and logged on and was immediately overwhelmed by the amount of email and spam in my inboxes. I finally finished digging myself out almost 36 hours later.

For Labor Day weekend I headed up north to Hanover, New Hampshire. Some good family friends (we consider them extended family) live up there and were having a big celebration on Sunday. So I went as the family representative. My dad and DH went to law school together, and DH literally has known me my entire life (he sneaked into the hospital after visiting hours the day I was born). His partner JF entered the picture a year later. Here we are 30 years later and I'm amazed a just how lucky I am to have two such incredible people in my life. I'm even more amazed that they are still together after all these years, despite society (for the most part) not accepting them for who they are and who they love. But they made it. And as different as they are (and oh boy are they different), there is so much love there it's humbling. And knowing that they love me and that I always have a place in their home and in their lives is so priceless I don't know how to describe it.

Enough sappiness...they also throw a great party. JF arranged for my dog and I to stay with a very nice woman, ED, who lived nearby. ED was more than happy to have a dog in her house again for a few days, and lucky for me Aussie was on her best behavior (she always behaves well in other people's homes...hm...). I got up nice and early on Saturday and hit the road, arriving into Hanover by early afternoon without incident and without encountering any traffic to speak of (can we say miracle?!). ED and I had a nice visit and Aussie made a thorough inspection of ED's very beautiful and fenced in yard (it's been awhile since the dog and I have had one of those and Aussie was in heaven) before ED and I headed over to DH and JF's for a delicious spaghetti dinner. As always, DH and JF pulled together a very eclectic, intelligent, entertaining, and generally wonderful group of people. The conversation was fun and overall just fantastic. So many interesting people to talk to. And the spaghetti sauce that JF made was so good. As was the garlic bread with chunks of garlic sitting on each crusty piece. Delicious. And then there was raspberry or strawberry-rhubarb pie and various ice cream flavors for dessert. It was a feast! After dinner ED and I headed back to her place to let the dog out and get a nice long night's sleep.

Sunday we got up and read the paper for a bit. ED told me that there's a craft fair on Sundays in the same place there's a farmers market on Saturdays just across the state line into Vermont. I had obviously missed the farmers market, but the craft fair sounded like a lovely way to pass the day until the big celebration for DH and JF that afternoon. So we said goodbye to the dog (Aussie made herself right at home and was decidedly unconcerned about our departure and immediately laid down on the couch for a nap) and headed over to Vermont. The craft fair was full of local artists from nearby towns in New Hampshire and Vermont. Woodcarvers, lots of jewelry makers, an incredible glass blower, and all sorts of fabric crafts including silk screened t-shirts, things made from recycled fabrics, hand-spun wool yarn, and various knitted and crocheted things. So much talent in a rather small space. The crafts were beautiful. I even found a belated birthday gift for my friend Catechresis (surprise!) that I will put in the mail soon. And ED and I got a gift for DH and JF that was just perfect (they thought so too when they opened it!).

After wandering and admiring everything, we made a quick stop at the local Co-Op for some local maple syrup for me (grade B, nice and dark and thick, and you can't usually find that grade in the supermarket) and some pure maple sugar candy to share back at work. Then we headed to the house to change (the day had warmed up into a beautiful and sunny day that wasn't too hot...absolutely perfect weather) and take care of the dog before heading to the party site.

We arrived at the Storrs Pond Recreation Area and were immediately put to work by JF (he has a habit of doing this). They had a collection of pictures of the two of them through the years to be hung for people to look through. These included everything from their class photos from elementary school and other childhood photos, photos from around the time that they met, various photos of them individually, photos of them with friends and family, to photos of them together from the past 30 years. So much fun to look through. It was hard to stay focused on the task of hanging them because we kept stopping to look and laugh and ask questions (when? where? who's this? OMG so young!)!

They also had the friendship quilt that was made for them for their 20 year celebration. A friend sneaked into their house and stole their address book and sent the information to another friend. She in turn sent each person on that contact list a quilting square and a request to put something personal on it. She then incorporated all those squares from everyone into a beautiful hand stitched quilt for DH and JF to treasure. Such amazing handiwork! It's incredible to see how the two of them have touched so many lives. And it's held up beautifully through the past 10 years.

Other guests started arriving, and tickets were handed out for the raffle. Now, the door prizes were really more of an opportunity for DH and JF to give away some of the massive amounts of stuff they've gathered (few people leave their house empty handed). And it included some really nice prizes: like books (with the authors present to sign them, no less!) and some of JF's amazing photographs (including copies of HIS new book!). Oh, and JF had fun telling a story about each person that won. I was drawing numbers (see? he gives out jobs!) and I made sure I did not draw mine...god only knows what embarrassing story from one of the many visits made during my childhood he would have come up with!

The afternoon was full of much feasting, an opportunity for guests to turn the tables and tell stories about JF and DH (such fun!), a surprise serenade by an excellent Elvis impersonator from JF to DH, there was a DJ, a little dancing, and lots of excellent conversation with all the interesting people in attendance.

They had the celebration catered by a local barbecue restaurant. OMG it was so incredibly delicious. I must get the name of the restaurant from them to see if they ship the sauce! They had hand pulled roast pork with a whiskey-molasses sauce. I just had to go back for seconds and was so full but it was so good! Add to that cornbread, salad, coleslaw, and some amazing sweet and spicy baked beans and wow. Just wow. They sent me home with some of the leftover pulled pork and I think it got even better. It was that good.

On Monday I thanked ED profusely for her hospitality (I must mail a thank you gift soon!), and popped over for a quick visit to DH and JF before hitting the road. Despite the fact that it was Labor Day, I once again had a nearly traffic free drive. Unbelievable. And Aussie slept all the way home. She wore herself out with all her yard explorations. Old dogs need their naps and she was just too busy smelling everything to sleep.

I had a wonderful weekend. The weather was perfect. The company was great. And New Hampshire/Vermont is just beautiful. I really wanted the weekend to last longer, but alas, I had work to get back to and massive amounts of email to deal with. Next time I go up for a visit it will definitely be for longer than 3 days.

Adventures in NYC, part 2

After our late night of dancing, CH and I got a slow start on Saturday morning. Of course, there was coffee and a walk through Washington Park with the dog, and a bit of time at the dog park.

Once the coffee started to hit me, we realized we needed food. And soon. We dropped the dog off and headed out up Broadway in search of a diner. We ended up at the Cozy Soup & Burger (739 Broadway). For you movie buffs out there, Adam Sandler filmed the diner scene in one of his movies there (I think Big Daddy, but I can't remember for sure). I knew I wanted breakfast food, even though it was definitely lunch time. And CH wanted lunch food. So the diner was perfect and satisfied both of us. It's not large, but clean and bright, and we didn't have to wait long for our food. The staff is very good and there was steady traffic of people in and out the entire time we were there. I got pancakes and eggs and CH got a reuben. The reuben was huge. So were my pancakes. They even came with REAL maple syrup, not the fake stuff. And good. Very very good. I definitely recommend the Cozy Soup & Burger. Next time I'm going to have to try a burger...I saw one the table next to us ordered and wow did it look good.

After stuffing ourselves silly, we knew we needed to walk a bit. So we continued up Broadway to Union Square park. They have a big farmers market there every weekend and several days during the week. Lots of local fresh produce, local vendors offering everything from bread to cheese to meats and eggs. Despite how full I was from my pancakes, I found myself drooling as we walked around. One vendor was offering 12 ounce cups of cold fresh apple cider for a dollar a piece. It was so sweet and delicious. And lucky for us, the weather cooperated beautifully. Sunny but without being scorching. After a few hours, we wandered back down Broadway to the apartment for a nap. Between the food and the walking, I needed it. Who knew relaxing could be so tiring?

We had a nice rest, and decided to go see a movie before grabbing some dinner. Neither one of us had seen the Simpsons, and it proved to be an enjoyable few hours. Definitely not serious (come on here, people, it's the Simpsons), but definitely entertaining. I was impressed they managed to continue the same thread for the entire time without losing it. Of course, like any Simpsons episode, it had it's high points and its low points, but it was definitely worth seeing and it made me laugh. What more could I ask for?

We walked back through the insanity that is the Village on a Saturday night. People everywhere. Everywhere. Craziness. At times we just walked in the street because the sidewalk was packed. Instead of joining the insanity, we opted to pick up some beer and take out. Unlike Pennsylvania, you can actually buy beer in the grocery store in New York. What a concept (feel the sarcasm...having to go to a beer store here drives me nuts!)! For food, we decided on Indian. CH loves this place called Indian Bread Company, which puts a new twist on Indian by serving it as Naan sandwiches or wraps. I understand why he loves it. OMG it was delicious. They put your filling (traditional Indian dishes like Saag Paneer) between two pieces of Naan and then grill it up like a panini. We each got a "naanini" and split a stuffed paratha (flat bread). Absolutely fabulous. I had the leftovers for lunch on Monday and they were just as good cold as they were warm. I think I'd eat there all the time if I could (no joke). Dinner was accompanied by more Food Network. TV about food goes well with eating food.

Sunday morning we slept in a bit. I think we were both tired from our late night on Friday and all the walking on Saturday. The coffee and trip to the dog park was now our morning "routine" for the weekend, and I certainly didn't hear the dog complaining.

Since we had walked up Broadway on Saturday, we went the opposite direction and walked down Broadway on Sunday. We took Canal street over to the Hudson River bike path along the Hudson River Park. Gorgeous. What a setting for a nice run or bike ride. We walked along the path down to the edge of Nelson Rockefeller Park where the North Cove Yacht Harbor is. Great views of the Hudson River. Beautiful weather. A nice long rambling walk. I do believe those are the ingredients for a near perfect relaxing day, despite the mild sunburn I ended up with from being in the sun almost the entire time. We cut back through into the city by the site of the World Trade Center, which I hadn't seen in person. Still just as mind-boggling now as it was almost 6 years ago. We took the subway back to Bleeker Street, where CH's "favorite block" in Manhattan is. In one block is a great bakery, a cheese shop to die for (on par with the local DiBruno Bros. here), a butcher, a fish monger and a market. Everything you need. And all walking distance from his apartment. Incredible.

Unfortunately, it was time for me to head home. CH had a soccer game to get to, and I didn't want to get home too late. So back to the apartment to load up the car and get the dog. One last walk around the block for the dog and away we went. As expected, traffic heading into the Holland Tunnel was bumper to bumper. I think my favorite sight while sitting in traffic was the man reading his magazine. And I had to laugh when I saw the signs for "alternate merge" as they brought up all sorts of memories from the weekend I visited EM. Other than the expected Holland Tunnel traffic and some shore traffic heading back into Philly, my drive was uneventful. Amazingly, I didn't get lost on my way there or on my way home. That's new for me. Maybe I'm getting better at not getting lost...nah, who am I kidding, I just got lucky this trip.

It was a wonderful weekend in NYC. Relaxing. Full of good food and friends and lots of fun. Exactly what I needed. So a big thank you to CH.

Adventures in NYC, part 1

So my weekend in NYC was full of food and activity. After arriving on Thursday evening at CH's place (in the Village), we drove in circles to find a place to park. We lucked out and found a spot not far away. By this point, the dog was a bit freaked out with the car ride and being in a new place, so rather than leave her alone, we decided to get take out and just vegetate on the couch to some Food Network (the foodies in us strike again). We ordered from Suzie's on CH's recommendation. Some of the best Chinese take out I've ever had, actually. So good. Always trust a foodie's recommendation. Always. We won't steer you wrong. That's advice to live by.

CH lives in a high rise building, and on the upper floors. This was Aussie's first experience with staying a place that required elevators and was really high up. She did just fine with the elevator. Didn't bother her at all. CH's porch, on the other hand, freaked her out. Now, the porch has a fence all around, and this is not Aussie's first experience with a porch, but it was her first experience being more than 2 stories above ground. I've now learned my dog is afraid of heights. I'm not sure she ever got closer than one foot from the edge. She'd stand there, and extend her neck as far as it would go to kind of peer over the edge. It took her two days to be willing to even do that! The first day, whenever CH and I went out there (great views by the way), she'd stand in the doorway and give us this "you two are absolutely crazy" look. Overall, she was very well behaved, which confirms what I've always believed: my dog would be an excellent big-city-apartment-dweller dog. Coolness.

Friday morning we got up and took the dog for a walk and got coffee (beverage of the gods, by the way, second only to beer). Washington Square park isn't too far from the apartment, so we grabbed coffee at Think Coffee on the way (so good...and the iced coffee is cold brewed!) and headed for the park. Like most parks in NYC, Washington Square has a fenced in designated dog park in the park. Awesome! Figuring Aussie needed to blow off some steam, we decided to make use of the park. I think it freaked her out a bit as it's been quite a while since we've been to an off-leash park. She stuck pretty close to me and CH, and just kind of observed all the activity. I think she was more thrilled with all the attention she got from people than the other dogs. Nonetheless, the trip to the dog area in the park was a regular part of our weekend.

After our walk, we headed back to the apartment. CH generously agreed to watch the dog (he also had work to get done) so I could meet up with a friend I hadn't seen in years. AP and I have been friends since high school, but tend to only see each other infrequently. Now that we are both on the same coast, hopefully that will change. We met up at St. Marks Place, an area near the East Village with lots of good restaurants and little boutique shops. Unfortunately, the weather was less than cooperative, so instead of walking around in the rain, we headed for food first. We ended up at an Afghani restaurant called Khyber Pass (34 St. Mark's Place). Good. Not excellent, but good. We both got kebabs, but different varieties. I tried a lamb one, and she got a combo with steak and seasoned beef. Both came with rice. We also got coconut cream lattes, which is a latte made with coconut milk. The latte was delicious. Slightly sweet without being a dessert and the flavor of the coffee didn't overwhelm the drink. The kebabs were well seasoned, but a bit on the dry side. The rice, on the other hand, was delicious. Brown basmati rice topped with carrots, raisins and almonds and I think a bit of citrus juice. There were plenty of other things on the menu that interested me, so I'd definitely try Khyber Pass again.

After lunch and several hours of talking, we realized the rain had stopped and so we decided to walk around and find dessert. We found our way back over to the West Village via a stop at her apartment and then the subway (thank goodness I kept my Metro card from my last visit to NYC!). AP knows of my love of cupcakes, and wanted to take me to her favorite place, Tonnie's Minis. They are known for their carrot cake cupcakes. YUM. Unfortunately, when we arrived, they didn't have any, so we had to settle for a red velvet heart (yellow cake with a red velvet center and butter cream icing). SO GOOD. I love cupcakes...little single-serve bundles of sweetness all wrapped in a cute package. After demolishing our cupcakes, we sat and talked a bit more. As we were leaving, we ran into a guy standing on the porch eating a carrot cake cupcake! Freshly made!! So we turned around and headed back into the shop to get some to go. I got extra, knowing CH's love of carrot cake and to thank him for being so nice while his guest (me) disappeared on him for the entire afternoon.

AP and I parted ways, she off to meet a friend in Chinatown and me back to CH's apartment. It was so good to catch up and find that even after years of not seeing each other we can still be so connected. Hopefully I'll see her again soon!

The plan for Friday evening was food and dancing. Knowing it would be a late night, I realized that I: A, needed more coffee, and B, needed a nap (not necessarily in that order). After a brief nap, CH and I grabbed more coffee and took the dog for another long walk. She explored a bit more this time, but Aussie was still pretty mellow about being around lots of dogs. Ah well, she is almost 12 years old now (when did that happen??!!).

We headed out for a late dinner, deciding to just walk around and read menus until something struck our fancy. We overheard some hilarious conversations, including one where a young woman was explaining to an owner why he needed to put up with her drunk friend that was making a scene and not kick them out. Her defense: on a "corporate level" they bring lots of business to the bar! OMG that was just too funny. As we walked by one place, one of the owners was out front trying to draw in business. She told us the food is good, not to expensive, no waiting for a table, so come in! There was a couple leaving at the time, and the confirmed everything she said, so we figured we'd give it a try. Ciao Stella (206 Sullivan St.) was pretty good Italian food. Filling, well cooked, decent flavors. Every meal includes a glass of wine. There was enough food that I had to take half of my chicken with artichokes to go! Fortunately, we weren't far away from the apartment, so we dropped off my leftovers, checked on the dog (snoring contentedly on the couch...hello! spoiled!), and headed back out for dancing.

CH had decided to take me to a place that calls itself a Bulgarian bar and is down in the East Village: Mehanata. The DJs spin a blend of world music from Latin to Middle Eastern to East European. Not your usual pop-mix or dance mixes. It was a bit crowded, but apparently they usually have a downstairs that's also open. Unfortunately, it wasn't on Friday, so everyone was crammed upstairs. The people were just as varied as the music, and everyone was having a good time! About the only thing that freaked me out was when people started jumping around I could feel the floor bounce a bit. But so much fun. Great music, and the DJ did an excellent job of blending one style into the other. After several hours of dancing (and I have the blisters to show for it), CH and I walked back and crashed out. What an awesome start to the weekend.