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September 29, 2006
My writing workshop is almost halfway over. I'm so glad I decided to join. I honestly like all of the people in the group, a very cool mix of backgrounds and personalities and thankfully no one has any pretensions of being a "writer" but they are all interested in the craft and in learning from one another. Last night it way my turn to have my essay workshopped. For an hour, I had to sit there silently while everyone else discussed my work. I was a bit worried going in that people were going to maul it to pieces and given that what I wrote was supremely personal I felt especially vulnerable, but I was relieved when most of the feedback was very positive. Sometimes these discussions can get really out of hand and go in too many directions, but overall it's a good way for the writer to understand how their writing is being taken in. The only real critiques were that the piece needs to be longer (book length! um, maybe in a few years) and that it's a bit confusing chronologically, which I had suspected. I got a lot of helpful ideas for me on how to approach my next draft, and I'm eager to write some more when I have some...time.
Mmmm, time.
I did not sleep enough hours last night. The Jimmy Legs are back. And since we had a friend sleeping over there was no escaping to the couch. Save for having two seperate beds like in a 50s sitcom, I'm not sure what we can do about this problem and it's driving me a little crazy.
Anyhow, on my lunch hour today, I strolled on down to this place on the 22nd floor of the Empire State Building and took a nap. They had a lot of press a year or so ago when they first opened up but when I went in, there was no one there except me. It was weird. You recline in a napping "pod" (see above) in a darkened room wearing noise canceling headphones. And then when your 20 minutes are up, the pod starts to vibrate and light up. If you don't get up quickly, the pod electrocutes you. I'm not sure about the last part, but I didn't want to chance it in case that was true. I didn't get a chance to really fall asleep, but I do feel a tad more refreshed than I did before. But for $14 I'm not sure it was worth it.
And now, I'm off to The Cape.
Posted by debbie at 2:35 PM | Comments (0)
September 27, 2006
Corn U.
I love corn as much as the next person- no wait, I love corn much more. I am in love with corn, especially in the form of ELOTE, that grilled cob slathered in mayonaise and sprinkled with cotija cheese and a squeeze of lime. Mmmm. But I don't love corn this much:
Posted by debbie at 2:52 PM | Comments (0)
I've Been a Bad Blogger
From the Mailbag: Laura F. from Maryland writes "I'm going to start a sit-in protest if the blog doesnt come back soon!" Others have written in similar threats. Actually, that's not true. But what is true is that I've hardly had time lately for anything including basic things like returning emails and doing my laundry, let alone blog. We all suffer when I'm busy, we all suffer. Especially me in the underwear department. So what's new? I was in California last week visiting my dad. More on that adventure later. Went to the Flaming Lips show on Monday, and finally realized why I hate standing-only shows. It was an A ha moment. I hate to stand at shows because.. because I'm lazy and my purse is very, very heavy. No, no. The real reason is that I can't see shit because I am only 62 inches tall. Rafe, of course, doesn't mind standing, because he towers over everyone and pisses off the unfortunate souls who happen to be standing behind him. He was like, "Can you see the Santa Clause, and the princess, and the space alien?" (If we weren't at a Flaming Lips show, I would have thought he was merely teasing) "Um, no. All I can see is the back of someone's fuzzy jewfro." "Oh, wow, you're missing everything on stage!" Oh am I? Ever heard of hoisting your lady on your shoulders? Not that either of us were in the mood for heavy lifting. Beforehand, we had the worlds' greasiest tapas at a dive bar near Port Authority. You're probably thinking there is nothing less appealing than the phrase "tapas at a dive bar near Port Authority." But I had read a few interesting reviews and thought the combination of dive bar + tapas would be a fun pre-concert treat. Everything was swimming it own private pool of oil and we probably should have taken a hint that no one else was eating the food and that the waitress seemed surprised when she took our order. I didn't want to admit it so I ate everything and am still paying for it, if you know what I mean (do you know what I mean?) At least I had the intuition not to order the squid. It was also absurdly expensive for what it was and I still feel uncomfortable about the whole experience. There's nothing worse, in my opinion, then poor food at a poor value. Not to toot my own horn, but as Rafe said, I have a pretty good track record for choosing good restaurants, maybe as high as 9 out of 10. I take pride in this. And that's why I am such a die hard fan of Brooklyn, because it is full of fabulous and well-priced restaurants. I'm sticking to Brooklyn.
...Last night met up with my ex boyfriend from high school. He reads this blog, otherwise I'd go into more detail about what a weirdo he turned out to be. Ha ha. No, actually, it was really interesting to meet up after six years and catch up on all that has happened to us in that time. To sum: a lot has happened. And reminiscing about when we were young and carefree, wow, there was a lot of stuff I had forgotten. And plus, we went to Lure and had shrimp cocktail and that's what's important.
Off to the Cape this weekend. Oh how I wish I could say that more often. This is, in fact, the first time I've ever had the chance to say that, so um yeah, off to the cape. And the following weekend we're off to London. I can't wait. It's been five years since I've been there and I can't wait to show Rafe all my old haunts (um, mostly pubs) and experience the city together and celebrate a certain monumental birthday (not the Queen's, if you were wondering)
Posted by debbie at 1:50 PM | Comments (0)
September 12, 2006
The Good Fork in Red Hook
Busy week already, and it's only Monday. Sigh. Marie and Dave, the old roomate, and I are going out for $5 Goulash Night at Cafe Steinhof, an Austrian place in Park Slope I've been curious about for ages. I will report back tomorrow regarding my first goulash experience.
Unrelated question: is it shameful to wear a used handbag (that your brother found for you on the street) without so much as emptying out the previous owners crumbs and loose change? Maybe I don't care. It's a newish looking red leather Nine West hobo bag (get it, a hobo bag?) The style is a hobo but perhaps it is I who is the hobo for sporting it. I confess I already had too many purses but the streets of BoCoCa are just so full of (free) treasures...
Had a good dinner at The Good Fork last night, a cozy spot in Red Hook across from the lovely French restaurant 360. After cloistering ourselves indoors for what seemed like a fortnight, it was nice to treat ourselves to something delicious and, well, get out of the house. The interior looked like an old railcar, the old metal taking on a warm patina, especially in the glow of flickering candlelight. The cuisine was creative American fare with a Korean inflection but basically I'd categorize it as urbane comfort food (ie: better quality ingredients, smallar portions, higher prices) That's what's hot these days right? Right.The crab cake was pleasingly crabby and the ravioli were soft and buttery. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I wasn't starving because the plates were a tad on the delicate and dimunitive side. But it was nevertheless very tasty. Proper cocktails too. My new favorite cocktial is the Dark and Stormy, a twist on my ol standby (and dear friends) Jack and Ginger. Think more gingery, muddled lime, and brown sugar. We toasted to the End of Head Colds. They also featured organic greens from Added Value, the nearby community farm, which is a really great place and I always like supporting places like that. Red Hook is just undeniably a cool neighborhood and despite all the talk of it being the next big thing- various bars and restaurants, new condos popping up and other expensive real estate, the Fairway and the soon-to-be-built Ikea- the area is still pretty desolate and sketchy at night, and that's a good thing. Keeps those damn yuppies out! Except yuppies like us who can drive their in our automobile...
Posted by debbie at 1:59 AM | Comments (2)
September 8, 2006
Um, I just spent the past three hours speaking to the reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe. I have to say that I'm not entirely skeptical. Since researching all this stuff about reincarnation, I've become much more open minded. Anyhow, the conversation was really interesting (if a bit spooky) and we are flying her and her hypnotist to Japan so she can go into her "Marilyn mode" in front of a live studio audience.
That is all.
Posted by debbie at 3:03 PM | Comments (0)
September 7, 2006
Bamn! that delcious-sounding "automat" got served- apparently the food is really crappy, according to the Post anyhow.
Oh well. I shouldn't be eating fried macaroni and cheese "krokets" anway. I'm sick. I am stuffed up and sneezing uncontrollably. Audible sneezing is frowned upon in the office- I think here it's akin to farting (silent ones seem to be ok though). But damn if I stifle my sneezes! I'm also humped over in my chair like an ogre because I have severe back pain on my right side. I caught the germ from this guy. Oy vey, I'm a mess! And my "wellness" smoothie is NOT DOING ANYTHING!
Anyhow, on a different note, this news item out of Berkeley is not funny...but it kind of is. I think it's ok to laugh. I mean, if you go Berkeley AND you live in a co-op, you just got assume that your brownie will be laced with marijuana. How could this come as a surprise to anyone????
As I write this I am waiting for a call back from this woman who is convinced, along with her hypnotist, that she is the reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe. I tell you, Japanese tv is on top of everything. Hey, it's possible.
Posted by debbie at 3:45 PM | Comments (1)
September 4, 2006
It's a beautifully breezy Labor Day. Mondays should always be like this, labor free. Vince came over earlier and we had a nice lunch of leftover ragout that I made the other night. He just came back from Boston and brought me this:
It's a Salmonella virus! The perfect gift for the hypochondriac in your life! Seriously, the perfect gift. Now I know what to look for next time I eat some suspect shrimp.
Right now I'm at a cute new cafe near the BQE called The Coffee Den trying to get some writing done. I feel a little distracted...there are little kids and dogs running around and I'm sitting on a tall swiveling stool and it's hard to be serious and focused while also swiveling.
Renu is coming over for dinner soon. We are going to grill some fish. And for dessert, a strawberry tart that I baked this morning:
I baked that there tart. I think it came out pretty good...for a "rustic" (i.e. sloppily assembled) tart anyway. The crust shrank a bit- I was using my new tart pan...I'm such a happy homemaker!
Last night was pretty cool down by the canal. We were just a few feet from the Brazilian Girls. Even though my ears are still ringing from the booming speakers, it was a fairly mellow and intimate affair. And I must say that lead singer is pretty sexy. She was gyrating around in a flowy pants-tube top jumper and was really grooving. R was completely stuffed up and out of it, poor guy, so he left pretty early to go convalesce, leaving me and my coworker there to chit-chat. I've been working there a year now and I haven't really hung out much with anyone outside of work so it was interesting, especially when after a few beers, I was able to coax a bunch of hot gossip out of her. I would love to share the jucier bits with you but I'm thinking it's probably not the best idea to do that here, lest I get fired and have to find, gasp, a new job.
Posted by debbie at 4:18 PM | Comments (0)
September 2, 2006
The sad and gloomy Gowanus Canal
Saturday. Labor Day weekend. Woo. Not much going on. Everyone is out of town. R.'s illin'. We were going to go to this Ravi Coltrane (son of John) with Cousin Phil but there is, well, a hurricane outside and it is raining sideways and that is not so motivating. I could use a lazy weekend though. I have grand plans to bake things and I usually never have time for that so maybe tonight is the night. Oh yeah, it's gonna get hot in here.
I also have a serious craving for ribs. Way back in the day I used to be a vegetarian. Yep, it's true. I abstained from (eating) the animal world. But that all changed when on a volunteer trip to Paraguay I was forced to eat pig skin with the whiskers still on it. And it was honestly the most disgusting thing I ever ate. I did not even have a knife (Paraguay is a very poor country!) so I was forced to swallow the skin in large swaths and I nearly choked on the gristle. But as the unchewable chunks slid down my throat, I came to realize that meat was God's Way. Thankfully, God has provided us with more than skin. He hath provided us with succulent meat.
So to the market I will go, perhaps to Esposito's pork market on Court. Don't know where it is? Look for the giant statue of a pig in a chef's outfit- he'll be waiting for you out front with his cleaver. Mmmmm....
Posted by debbie at 7:39 PM | Comments (1)
September 1, 2006
Random Friday Entry
I had a very strange dream last night. I would like to share it (interpretations are welcome). It was the late 80s again (bear with me). I was eight years old and wearing an uncomfortable frilly party dress. I had been invited as a special guest to a party being held by Michael Jackson in a warehouse full of helium balloons, children (naturally) and dogs. The dogs looked like Wegman's fancy pants weimaraners but even more beautiful. They had softest shiniest coats and human-like smiles. Michael came over to me and whispered creepily that he had, with the help of scientists, created a new breed of dog back on his property in Bahrain and that he had bred them to be "the friendliest dogs in the world." But as I stooped down to pet one, it started to growl and then it attacked me, clamping down on my arm with its teeth. I woke up in a sweat, and I was scared.
Posted by debbie at 12:22 PM | Comments (1)