A lovely dinner at the North End of Boston

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Boston, North End, postaday2014, Restaurant

My husband and I went out to dinner with one of our favorite couples Sean and Kelly in the North End of Boston at a restaurant called Assiago. Sean worked with my husband at my husband’s old firm and they stayed in touch because they value their friendship and Kelly and I get along so well. I always look forward to our nights out at restaurants, Kelly and Sean have excellent taste in restaurants and we haven’t left disappointed ever.

I ate so much this evening, my belly is quite large and full, but it was so very, very tasty. We, as a table, shared a plate of hot antipasto and two orders of clams casino; clams baked with bacon, (everything and I mean everything tastes better with bacon) the hot antipasto platter offered fried calamari, arancini, lamb skewers and bruschetta; we devoured the entire platter between the four of us and the clams casino were gobbled up equally quickly. In between bites of food, we talked about children and dogs, but mostly about dogs. Sean and Kelly have a black Newfoundland puppy named Vader, she went to the vet for her weigh-in and she tipped the scales at 131 lbs, She isn’t even close to two years old so she is still growing, my husband and I reminisced over Rex, our 140 German Shepard who as everyone knows passed away, and then we regaled Sean and Kelly with Jack stories.

Our main courses came and I stopped talking, I had in front of me risotto a la pescatore or risotto with seafood, it was delicious; I had small mussels, littleneck clams, shrimp, and calamari with the risotto and it was wonderfully layered in flavors, spices and aromatics and creamy texture to boot. I loved it to the bottom of the plate. I think that everyone else at the table enjoyed theirs, I think.

We left the restaurant well sated and still laughing when my husband suggested we keep walking and see about finding dessert elsewhere. We found a nice gelateria and we indulged our sweet teeth, I had peach and tangerine, Kelly had lemon and chocolate, my husband had coconut and Sean ate his so fast, I don’t have a clue as to what he had.

We said our goodbye’s and promised to go out again in a month or so and I am already looking forward to it. I have such a nice time with them, they are such a nice couple and so funny.

Daily prompt: Three coins in the fountain

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backpacking, Europe, postaday2014, Rome, Trevi fountain

Have you ever tossed a coin or two into a fountain and made a wish? Did it come true?

When my sister and I were on our backpacking trip through Europe, we spent at least four days visiting Rome with our three Australian travel companions and we made the point of going to the Trevi fountain to throw a coin and make wishes.

“Tradition has it that you will return to Rome if you throw a coin into the fountain’s water basin. You should toss it with your right hand over your left shoulder (or left hand over your right shoulder) with your back to the fountain. You’re not allowed to look behind you while you’re tossing the coin but the fountain is so large it’s basically impossible to miss.”

I copied and pasted this blurb to make sure that anyone who reads this and hasn’t visited the Trevi fountain yet, if they do, that they will do it correctly so that their wish does come true because I know that I did it all wrong. I did not throw my coin with my right hand over my left shoulder, that’s why my wish didn’t come true and why I haven’t returned to Rome as of yet.

Seriously, I am sure that the superstition isn’t true but just in case, keep it in mind if you ever get there, on the off chance that it is true.

I do remember how majestic the fountain is, how clear the water was that you could see all of the different coins from all around the world. I wonder how many Euros there are in relation to the other currencies nowadays, back then when I was there the Euro didn’t exist, there were instead Lira’s, French Francs, German Marks, Dutch Guilders and maybe even some Greek Drachmas.

I remember that the Spanish Steps weren’t far off and the largest McDonald’s that I had ever seen was right there next to the steps. I have to say that my memories of Rome are still fairly clear and vibrant, I couldn’t stop looking everywhere, all around, left and right, up and down, there was always something breathtakingly beautiful to see. I had really loved Rome and I would love to get back there one day, just to walk all throughout the city, it is such a magnificent city with a tremendous amount of history that four short days is not long enough to fully appreciate all of its riches. I wish that I had known of the coin tossing instructions back then, I would have returned to Rome much sooner.

Noah : a movie review

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movie, movie review, Noah, postday2014

My husband, our son and I went to the movie theater to see Noah. This movie review will be easier to write than the others in the sense that I don’t have to worry about giving away the ending, no spoiler alerts lol.

The three of us enjoyed it very much. I think that since we went into the theater with open minds, personally I have been a fan of the director’s for a while now, and I knew that he would treat his movie with respect and seriousness, I didn’t have any preconceived notions of what to expect. I am happy to report that Darren Aronosfsky did a tremendous job with the story of Noah and his vision was beautiful, poignant and powerful.

There were many things about the movie that impressed me; it wasn’t just a matter of good versus evil, there was a complexity that took the question to the next level. It was really a fight over how we perceived our role relative to the earth and the Creator. Was earth a gift bestowed to us from the Creator to do with as we pleased, we being the Lords of all that we surveyed or were we to be the stewards of earth, responsible for its health and well-being? If the Creator made us in his image, how high up in the chain of command were we? Why did the Creator stop communicating with us and when there was communication why was it so vague? The most important consequence of the lack of communication between the Creator and man led to the distinct separation between the people of Cain and the people of Seth and their opposing philosophies and faith or lack of faith. The antagonism between the two world views is really the primary conflict in the movie.

The other aspect that impressed me was the immense humanity, humility and sense of culpability that Noah carried within him throughout the movie. In a different manner in terms of how quietly it was done, I was riveted over how Jennifer Connelly imbued her character, that of Noah’s wife, with the heart of the movie. Her unwavering love, faith and compassion for Noah throughout the hardship, the trials, the fearsome trek through the badlands and at the final test of faith where Noah’s line in the sand, his crossroads is even too much for her and the rest of their family to bear, she is still fighting for love, overall fighting so fiercely for love and for him, his soul and his inner heart.

The heart of the movie is love and the sacrifices that are required for love and the difference between the love for the creator and the love of family. Which sacrifice should be the first and primary one, the Creator or one’s own family or do they have to be exclusive. Noah’s sense of responsibility and duty to the Creator was a key player within the entire movie and the dynamic that played out was so well portrayed.

I highly recommend seeing the movie, it is thought provoking and heartwarming I am certain that you will enjoy it and be impressed with it.

Daily prompt: Mister Sandman

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insomnia, postday2014, sleep

What kind of sleeper are you? Do you drop off like a stone and awaken refreshed, or do you need pitch black and silence to drift off to dream?

My husband has described me as a narcoleptic, I can drop off to sleep anytime, anywhere and sleep through anything. I have slept through an earthquake in Blandford, MA and I have fallen asleep in dance clubs. However when my children were babies, I could hear them turn over in their crib during the night, the only times that my sleep was so easily disturbed or interrupted.

I appreciate it so very much and I do not take my sleeping capabilities for granted. The only complaint that I have is that I have not wakened feeling refreshed in a very long time. It doesn’t matter how many hours I sleep, I wake up tired, finally after participating in a sleep study, my doctor has determined that I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Speaking of the sleep study, I was taken aback at how uncomfortable the get up was that they adhered to your body in order to take part in the monitoring, I didn’t have any issue falling asleep, but how do others sleep when sleep for them is an issue? I suppose that the goal is to track what happens during sleep, but when you have electrodes all over your body and your head attached to a large box next to you in bed, how do ordinary people fall asleep? I can sleep without mattresses, pillows and the dark; electrodes and wires for me was a no brainer. My experience gave me added compassion for those who suffer from sleep issues. I am very lucky indeed.

The sleep study gave no clues as to why I can’t find a way to feeling refreshed, hence the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome diagnosis. So the best thing to do and the easiest way to live with the diagnosis is to embrace sleep, to embrace rest beyond sleep and to listen to the advice given to me by my dear friend Tilly, moderation is key to everything.

I have been reading about menopause and I fear that sleep disturbance is one of the things that come with menopause. I am very nervous about this, I love my ease of sleep and I really don’t want to see it go away. But don’t you worry, for now I won’t let it keep me up at night. 😉

Daily prompt: Sixteen tons

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boring, creative, postaday2014, work

How do you feel about your job? Do you spring out of bed, looking forward to work? Or, is your job a soul-destroying monotony of pure drudgery, or somewhere in between?

Sixteen Tons; one of my all favorite songs to dance to with my father. I remember dancing what the French call the “rock” to Sixteen Tons, I suppose it was some bastardized version of the Jitter Bug, I think? My father danced so well, just thinking about it puts a smile on my face.

When I used to work outside of the home, way back when, I never found it to be dreary or monotonous. I worked primarily in the retail and the restaurant business and trust me, those two industries are never boring. I was very lucky to always find myself surrounded by talented, creative and very nice people, even the customers were often wonderful and engaging people.

I can’t even complain about my time at the law firm because it wasn’t your run of the mill stodgy law firm. Dolgenos, Newman and Cronin was located in the heart of SOHO, New York, sharing space with an art gallery that the partners themselves owned. They were also very welcoming and loved a good party. On the day that I was hired as a part time file clerk, they threw a party in my honor. When I left to go back to work at Conran’s/Habitat at Astor Place, they threw me a party to wish me well. You can’t beat having employers like that.

Actually I have to say that of all of the jobs that I have held over the years; full-time or part-time, being a stay at home mother is, for me, the hardest one that I have ever had. Having said that, being a mother has definitely never been boring; it is by far the best thing that has ever happened in my life. The house work part of being a stay at home mother, not so much, that is definitely the most boring and uninspiring job that I have ever encountered and for me, the only drudgery that I have ever known. Being a mother HOORAY, housework BOO. 😀

Daily prompt: Young at heart

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aging, postaday2014, vanity, youth

What are your thoughts on aging? How will you stay young at heart as you get older?

I am 46, this summer on August 7th, I will be 47. Am I happy and looking forward to it? Not really, I don’t feel prepared to be 47, at least emotionally or mentally. I always assumed that at 40, somehow a wave of wisdom bubbles up from somewhere and enters your psyche, I am still waiting for mine lol. I still feel young and unsure about stuff. Sure, I have more worries now than I did back then, but at the time when I was young, my worries felt big and real and why should the “grown up” worries be given so much more weight than those of the younger people? I think everything is relative in the grand scheme of things.

Right now I am dealing with my hormones changing and that can be, at times, a little intense and weird so it kind of impacts how young I feel at any given moment; it is hard to ignore hot flashes when your sweat is beading on your upper lip and dripping down your temple. Superficially, when I am looking in the mirror in the morning while brushing my teeth and seeing gravity and time flex their potent muscles and doing their thing to my face and hair, it gets a little unnerving, because there is no escaping the fact that time ticks onwards and there isn’t much that any of us can do about it.

The only thing to be done about time is to make the most of it and live in the present, not so much in the past, because it is done, fun to remember, but not useful to dwell on.

I believe that “they” are right (whoever they are) when they say that it is all in the attitude. You can only be as happy as you allow yourself to be, if I could see it as not just about aging, as something more like a simple thing of living one more day then I had before, that would do me a whole lot of good mentally and emotionally. I just have to convince my vanity that this is a great idea. lol

Snow, now. REALLY?!

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postaday2014, snow, winter

This morning I woke up to falling snow and it is still falling. Last night they did say something about overnight snowfall, but I figured that it would be flurries and would blow over by morning. We are in Virginia after all. It is much farther south than Massachusetts.

It makes me laugh at myself, thinking that by being in Virginia, we would escape any lingering hints of winter that are left. Here I was hoping to enjoy some 50 or even 60 degree weather, but no we are in the 30’s and when we leave to go back up north, we will be driving back to cold.

Winter and cold weary.
Here is a hopeful song, hint it has something to do with sun. 🙂

Special delivery on the way

Tags

baking, cookies, pastry, postaday2014

This morning I walked from the hotel to the Herndon Post Office to ship off two packages of homemade goodies. They are now in transit and in several days will arrive to their destinations. As I was walking back to the hotel, it was a mile and a half each way, a nice bit of exercise which made me even happier, I was thinking as usual about the possibilities of actually baking goodies commercially and the logistics of shipping my goodies to customers. This curiosity is always lingering deep in the back of my mind and the only thing that stands in the way of it ever becoming a reality is me. Well in actuality it is more than just me. My piece in this potential puzzle would lie in setting the ball in motion, the other factors could very well be out of my control such as customers actually wanting my goodies, finding a good space to bake that is sanctioned by the health department, finding the time to do all of the baking, packing and shipping and this tiny list barely scratches the surface.

When these thoughts take over my mind, I step back and think of the many ladies and men who actually took their dreams and passions and made them into concrete success stories and I am full of admiration for their courage, their dedication, their tenacity and their steely resolve because it takes all of that to make it in the competitive and volatile retail food industry. And then I ask myself do I have what it takes. I might have had the energy and the strength years ago, but I don’t think that I have the passion to make it a reality. I adore baking for my family and friends, I don’t know if that would ever have been enough for something more on a commercial level.

This isn’t about regrets because it isn’t ever too late. I think to Julia Childs and what she accomplished at 50. She is an inspiration for me, not only when it comes to cooking and baking but also in writing. She did mostly for herself and her friends and then she shared, I like to remember that.

Anyway I am happy, my packages went out and hopefully they will make their recipients very happy.

The guilty pleasure of Taco Bell

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dinner, postaday2014, Taco Bell

After spending close to 8 hours in the car, driving down to Virginia, I don’t think anyone would be in the mood to go out and deal with finding a restaurant, which is why we are lucky that we have a Taco Bell right next to our hotel.

After we unloaded the car and got the luggage cart up to the room, I took the cart back down and walked on over to Taco Bell and just 10 minutes later, we had dinner in the room.

My order never changes; 3 soft tacos Fresco and fresco only means tomatoes and lettuce, the filling is their “beef” mixture, I choose not to dwell on it too closely, there have been some stories about Taco Bell and there are times when ignorance is bliss. Can you tell that this is one of those times? I am more than satisfied with 3 tacos, a little of the mild Taco sauce poured over my tacos and it tastes a little spicy, quite tasty and very easy going down to my tummy.

Now that my hunger has been sated, my exhaustion from all of the driving has just hit me, hard. It is time for me to rest, watch t.v and read at the same time, but most importantly rest.

The delicious smell of butter

Tags

baking, cookies, postaday2014

Today I am doing what I absolutely love doing, baking. I am making the puff pastry dough necessary to make the caramelized, delicate, buttery cookies that everyone in my family loves so much, the elephant ear cookies.

I think that part of the reason why I love baking so much is how I myself end up smelling like dessert. I walk around the house while I wait for the pastry dough to rest in between the rolling and folding, smelling like butter and flour, a delicious, yummy smell.

Actually butter combined with anything smells so very appetizing; butter and salt, butter and sugar, butter and garlic, basically butter anything smells and tastes wonderful. I know that according to all the health experts, too much butter consumption is not very good for your arteries, but I indulge my appreciation of butter mainly through my olfactory senses so I am fairly sure that my arteries are safe, you can’t clog an artery with your nose and sense of smell.

My cookies will be done by the end of today and they will be shipped out shortly thereafter. That is all that I will say on the matter because their destination is a secret.

I really do smell good, I’m surprised that jack isn’t laying on me licking me to death. It’s probably because he doesn’t associate me with his begging for treats, that is reserved for his papa, I am who gives him his regular food and I am his furniture, no licking included. Jack is really smart and knows who butters his bread; that’s me and I don’t like being licked. He was just sitting next to me looking at me with a curious look sort of “you smell different, I like it, I don’t know what it is but it’s nice” He is so cute.

So pretty soon the house will still smell buttery, not in its raw form, but in its baked incarnation combined with sugar and caramelized by heat and that smells wonderful too.