Journal Squared

Couch Potatoes

This weekend we went nuts and cleaned the apartment within an inch of its existence. Our Christmas tree was still up. Part of the joys of living in an urban apartment is the total lack of storage space. We really had no place to store the tree. (My mother carried it up with her on her way to visit for Thanksgiving.)

There was some thought given to leaving the tree up all year & replacing the ornaments … but we decided ultimately that that would be a lot more effort than we were willing to put forth.

Anyway, on February 9, we finally took the tree down. The tree was up so long that the ornaments had had time to collect dust. I was seconds away from being Miss Havisham …

The reason the tree was dismantled was because we finally had a box large enough to hold it — the box for our new 46 inch flat panel HDTV! My little 19 inch TV was finally starting to go. I have issues with buying new things to replace other things that are still working perfectly. Jason’s been lobbying for a new TV for years, so it was with great joy when he started to notice the overexposure (maybe months before I did).

Thanks to the cashing in of credit card rewards points and post-Super Bowl clearance at Best Buy, we are now the proud of owners of an apartment that suddenly looks like a bachelor pad. This thing is garishly large. We were going to go a bit smaller, but the 46 inch was only $7 (seriously) more than the 42 inch of the same brand.

We look at the thing and just start laughing. Jason nostalgically says things like, “Remember when we couldn’t even read the credits?” Any outsider would see our set up and assume that our apartment belongs to a single 28-year-old male.

Anyway … I’m thrilled about going home for those two reasons — the fact that it’s clean & that there is a TV of laughable proportions in the corner of the room. I always feel disgusted with myself and unhappy with my surroundings when I get home and the place is dirty. (Naturally not disgusted enough to clean it, but definitely enough to whine about it.) Tonight I get to go home, crash on the couch, suddenly be able to discern Blair Waldorf’s facial features, and not trip over one of the thousand blankets Hans has carried into the living room from the bed he hasn’t slept in since it got cold & we needed him for warmth.

Also - it’s 40 degrees outside & it’ll be 50 tomorrow. I know it’s going to snow next week & I will once again be miserable with life, but this week, Punxsutawney Phil can eat it.

You know what everyone wears here that I thought was a major fashion faux pas?

Panty hose.

They are everywhere in New York. I’m seeing them all over on the fashionable, the unfashionable, the medium fashionable.

I haven’t seen a pair of panty hose on a woman under 40 in years and years.

There are definitely lots of tights, too, which I’m on board with … but honestly, panty hose panty hose panty hose.

Who knew this was still happening?

Side note… I know I should be posting more. I have been seeing some great plays which I will chat about as soon as I have the chance. This weekend was spent in the kitchen. I made and canned my apple butter. The place still smells so yummy. :) Love the fall.

Cold Feet

I am flabbergasted. My US Airways frequent flyer miles are about to expire as I’m not such a frequent flyer. So I go online and look at the list of online partners I could purchase from and thus hold onto my mileage for another 18 months.

I need socks, because in New York, you need hardcore, real socks… not the little thin slips of fabric I wore in Atlanta that only went up to my ankles. I go to zappos.com. Shoe store… probably has socks.

Well they do! But guess what. There isn’t a single pair of socks on the site available for less than $30. I was recently annoyed that socks were $8.99 on lanebryant.com … compared to Zappos, that’s like a deal. I felt that if you could buy a long-sleeve shirt for $14, your socks should be $4 … no more than $5 a pair.

There are even socks on the site that are more than $100. Seriously? A pair of socks … one of which will inevitably be irrevocably lost in your dryer within 3 months (and that’s generous).

These are the $109 socks.

More than $50 per sock. Your foot sweat is going to ruin that cashmere.

I may just use the limited number of miles on some magazine subscriptions … like we need more of those; Jason has papered our apartment with free subscriptions to Popular Science and the wretched Blender/Spin monthly crapfest. Now that I don’t live anywhere near Charlotte, the likelihood of my flying US Airways enough to earn enough miles for another free ticket is slim.

Maybe I’ll subscribe to The Economist.

US Open

Since CBS is airing the US Open, we all received daytime tickets to check out the action. I’m not really a big tennis person; my knowledge and interest in the sport began and ended during middle school. I was still excited about the perk and the scale of the event, however, so I took the 7 train to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park and spent the day among the Federers and Ivanoviches. Fun fact: Billie Jean King is apparently retired.

White people getting excited for a day of tennis.

It was a beautiful, sunny day.

People are very quiet mid-match. Obviously I didn’t get the message & I shouted “We’re sitting over here!” to fellow coworkers when they arrived.

I left Arthur Ashe Stadium to explore the park and check out other games going on in the smaller courts. Despite having no idea what was going on, it was fun to see the action from a shorter distance and have some shade.

Before leaving the park, I checked out the Unisphere from the ‘64/’65 World’s Fair. Very beautiful.

Despite being completely unaware of tennis (outside of the movie Match Point), I was very grateful for the tickets—what a nice perk. Though I typically find it loathsome to watch sports on TV, attending a game in person can be fun. I can’t help but feel that, at least for the neophytes, however, that the US Open would’ve been livened up by the Home Depot tools race. Maybe next year.

Journal Squared - Podcast 8/24/08

Wherein I discuss what it’s like to be a big girl on the subway.

Song: Stars - “Reunion”

China Grill

When Kay and her friend Brandon came to visit, we decided to forgo lunch and have instead, half of the dessert menu from China Grill.

I knew I was among friends when Kay very defiantly told our waiter that despite not ordering food, we would be keeping our chopsticks and taking them home with us. And we did, classy kids that we are.

Brandon apologized for being a tourist & took photos of all of the desserts. I’m so glad he did.

Jason, Kay, and I get ready for massive blood sugar spikes.

I had the trio of creme brulee. It was so delicious. Perfect snap on top and creamy yumminess inside.

Brandon went for the chocolate hazelnut torte. There was a touch of raspberry there, too.

Jason ordered “The Great Wall.” It was comprised of a wall of ice cream, coated with caramelized bananas and cookies. I’m not entirely sure that this picture does justice to the sheer size of this dessert.

Kay ordered a selection of homemade ice creams and sorbets. I sampled (and loved) the coconut.

Brandon managed to get halfway through the torte before dropping his fork in defeat.

Kay skimmed off the top but barely touched her ice cream. She was too busy chatting.

I killed my creme brulee & offered up half of the chocolate to Kay.

Jason destroyed the Great Wall. As I recall he felt ill for the rest of the day … but he’s already talking about going back for his birthday.

No Country for Old Men

Today while walking down 53rd, I saw a small, elderly man walking toward me, wearing a T-shirt with tiny lettering. I narrowed my eyes to read, “This is an ordinary person you’re dealing with.” I smiled and looked up at him & he had this happy, Mel Brooksy, proud look in his eyes. He winked at me & walked on by.

Today is my dad’s 60th birthday. I just called to wish him a happy day & we talked for a while. Last week, Mom showed him pictures of our apartment & mentioned our fish & chips outing. This was a tiny segment of our lengthy conversation:

Dad: Well, I bet it wasn’t as expensive as that fish place in Asheville.
Me: Which place?
Dad: You know—
Me: Poseidon? (A mediocre but expensive seafood restaurant that closed years ago. I went there for junior prom.)
Dad: Why no. That place where you can’t go with 4 people without spending $100.
Me: … Red Lobster.
Dad: That’s it! Do they have Red Lobsters in New York?
Me: Yes, there’s one in Times Square. (Thinking about, but not mentioning what would be lost references to Andre and Tim Gunn at Red Lobster.)
Dad: I bet it’s twice as expensive there!

I love my dad so much. He recently learned how to do internet searches to bring up the weather. During the past 15 years, he’s been reticent to surf the web. He told me about thunderstorms coming to New York from DC.

We also talked about the Olympics and all the crazy things that can happen to people living in big cities.

Happy Birthday, Dad.

Photo: New York Times

Cod Save the Queen

It’s been an anglophilic week here in New York City. Tuesday evening, we walked around Christopher Street & the Village and hit up Myers of Keswick, a British expat shop selling all kinds of goodies like Walkers crisps, Maltzers, Cadbury Fruit & Nut bars. They also do homemade pasties, Scotch eggs, and pies.

Jason, despite being somewhat allergic to eggs, ordered a Scotch egg to share with Hans. He loved every single bite, and moaned over how amazing it was, how it was just like what he’d had in London. He spent the majority of the following day in the bathroom.

Between us, we went home with a Mars bar, a fruit and nut bar, 2 Kit Kats, and 10 mini packs of Walkers roasted chicken crisps. They didn’t have Walker’s Taste Sensations Chicken & Thyme, the ultimate in crisp and something I reminisce about in the way another person may think of a former home or a much loved friend.

Still, the roasted chicken crisps fulfill the craving. They are so chickeny, thick, and well, crisp. I know it’s going to be a challenge to stay away from the shop now that I’ve found it.

Earlier tonight, we visited A Salt and Battery, also in the Village. We ordered the cod and split an order of chips. Delicious. The place is tiny, not airconditioned, and you leave smelling of fried food. (We both showered immediately upon entering the apartment.) That said, it’s among the best fish and chips I’ve had. And let’s face it, I’ve had quite a bit.

The batter was crispy and light. The fish was flaky and fresh. They only sell cod when it’s in season, opting instead to sell sustainable, locally-caught fish. The cod was today’s special, so I had to go for it.

The chips were totally my kind of fry. I hate large, flavorless steak fries, especially when they’re hard on the outside and mushy-potatoey in the middle. These were slightly crisp but also soft and oily. So so so good.

Apparently the place was featured on Throwdown with Bobby Flay. Every time I see Throwdown on my TiVo, I think of John B. and how much he hated the premise of Bobby Flay pompously showing up on old ladies’ doorsteps and telling them they can make a better meatloaf.  I wasn’t a fan initially, but it’s grown on me.  He’s a gracious loser. I’m a fan of gracious losers.

Home

We moved in a week ago, and it’s taken that long to unpack all the boxes. There are still one or two catch all boxes that we’re too exhausted to unpack. Emily stayed with us till Saturday morning helping.

Saturday night, we went upstairs to visit (drink) with Georgina, Augusto, and Jeff. Georgina kept filling my drink when I wasn’t looking. At one point, I was completely coherent. At another, I was speaking in kindergarten-level Spanish, telling her how great I thought she was & how thrilled I am to be there.

Work is exciting and very challenging. Having an office is super, super cool.

Without further ado, here are the promised photos of the apartment. When I’m not totally exhausted, I’ll share the stories of the people we’ve met on the subway, the dryer that did not fit in its spot and the awfulness of Sears customer service, and the ridiculously amazing Italian food I’ve been eating.