Potatoes in the Mist

D and I discovered a burger joint in Brooklyn, DuMont Burger, which serves a delectable chickpea burger on a brioche bun with tzatziki sauce. We're willing to make the trek to another borough for it. Another attraction: a nearby bookstore that I like not so much for its pulpy, kitschy selection, but for its plump, sweet cat. The cat is grey with black stripes and has a soft, ample midsection. It is very cozy. The last two times I made its acquaintance, it was sleeping on (a) a chair and (b) a stack of books. This time, it was awake and prowling. I put down my pink Strand tote bag to pat it, and it promptly curled up on the bag. I patted it some more and then it stepped off the bag, climbed onto my lap (I was sitting cross-legged on the floor) and fell asleep there. It was so warm and comforting. I was sorry that I'm allergic to cats because this one was so delightful. Eventually we had to go; I carefully unfolded one leg, then the other, and the cat curled up between my knees. ...

A man walked into a bar with his dog. "My dog can talk," he told the bartender. "No, he can't," said the bartender. "Yes, he can." "Prove it to me," said the bartender. The man asked his dog, "What lies on top of a house?" "Rff," said the dog ("roof"). "Any dog can do that," said the bartender. "Ok, I'll ask him another question. Who was the greatest baseball player of all time?" "Rff," repeated the dog ("Ruth"). The bartender was not impressed. He threw them out of the bar. On the way home, the dog tilted its head, and asked its owner: "Maguire?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What should you do with a blue whale? Cheer him up. ~~~~~~~~ What is the most musical bone? A trombone!

My mother gave me Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers, and I think it may be the best Moosewood cookbook yet. Each recipe is beautifully illustrated and easy. Some reviewers trashed it on Amazon - they were upset that no caloric value was listed - but do you really want to know that, anyway? Whenever they do that, I find myself skimming over the more fattening recipes, and possibly missing out. Anyway: Spinach Cheese Burritos 5 tortillas (7 or 8 inches) 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 1 bunch scallions, chopped 10 oz baby spinach 1 tsp coriander 1 generous pinch nutmeg 1 small slice of cream cheese (I used Neufchatel) 2 c sharp cheddar cheese 1 T canola oil Preheat the oven to 375. Put the tortillas on a baking sheet (it's ok if they overlap) and place them in the oven for a few minutes, so they won't crack when you roll them. Saute the garlic and scallions in the oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Stir in the nutmeg, coriander, che...

A while ago, Amtrak called and asked if I wanted to be part of a focus group. I would be paid $100 to talk about my experiences with Amtrak...during dinner hour! Nah. But when we took the train today, it occurred to me that they could use a yoga car. The car would have no seats, and lots of floor space for mats. Of course, they will never do this because they could pack the car with people instead and make a profit. But I think they should! Once I tried doing yoga in the aisle (on a different trip) and a well-intentioned girl asked, "Are you lookin' for somethin'?" So now I'm too self-conscious. On today's trip, the conductor kept announcing, "Claire Kirby, this is your stop. Get off now," and repeating that with different names. I didn't know they had a reminder service. They did have a number of elderly people on the train who may have asked to be reminded. One of them, a woman behind us, struck up a conversation with D. "Do you smoke?...

Tonight I met the lovely Sampson, a butterscotch-colored pug. He lives with my writing friend, K, and is very charming. K and I had dinner at a Thai resto and talked about the writing life, etc. She was working overnight shifts on a Good Samaritan hotline, but she quit because most of the people calling were perverted instead of depressed. Which reminded me of the movie theater pervert, all those years ago: Me (college kid in the box office): Hello? Pervert (man with intense, whispery voice): Hi. I'd like to see The Lion King . What is it rated? Me: G. Pervert: Do they say bad words in The Lion King ? Me: ? No. Pervert (breathing heavily now): Do they say FUCK in The Lion King? Me: Um, no. Bye! Anyway, back to 2006. I was going to take a picture of Sampson, but I forgot my batteries, and K offered some, but my camera is a diva and insists upon fully charged batteries, freshly cut roses and bowls full of red M&Ms. Maybe I can get a picture of him next time. He enjoyed licking th...

I was shopping at Whole Foods (I'm making saag paneer with tofu, a good opportunity to use the asafetida and garam masala waiting in my cabinet) and they were piping in Christmas music. Guy Cashier swoops in and sings, "It's the most wonderful time of the year..." Girl Cashiers shake their heads, ask him what's wrong with him (but they're laughing). Guy Cashier (with dignity): Nothing is wrong with me. My inner child is alive. That's what keeps old people going. Girl Cashiers: ? Guy Cashier (warming to his theme): My grandmother, she goes bungee-jumping on her birthday. Me: How old is she? Guy Cashier: 65. So Merry Christmas, and remember to go bungee jumping on your birthday...it'll keep you young. (I'm not going to take this advice -- too much of a scaredy-cat -- but it seems sound.)

This is so end-of-the-year-y, but I thought y'all might like to get some recommendations. Also...at the bottom...my thoughts on Justin Timberlake and cupcakes (2 separate streams of thought ;) Books Model Student by Robin Hazelwood Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn Chicken with Plums by Marjane Satrapi Knitting Under the Influence by Claire LaZebnik Pug Hill by Alison Pace Mommies Who Drink by Brett Paesel The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery Snowed In by Christina Bartolomeo The Brooklyn Follies by Paul Auster Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi Movies Capote Failure to Launch Clerks II You, Me and Dupree Borat ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I've been taking an informal blogger survey and it seems that most of you like Justin Timberlake, i.e., Roxanne , Bdogg , Poppy , Belle , and I think Liz has one foot in that camp, having found his latest video kinda yummy. (I haven't seen it, can't comment.) I feel like the only two on the side of the Righteous are me and Carolyn . Does no one remember the...

So T and I went to see The Holiday today. We talked a bit about her boyfriend first. Things seem to be going really well. She did confide that she gets frustrated about the "little things." "When he blows his nose, it's more like a honk," she said, "and he always has his hand near his crotch." (This reminded me of D's college roommate (I'll call him Buffin), whom I never met because I met D after college. D and Buffin were randomly matched, since it was freshman year. Buffin was a football player who liked his drink a bit too much. Once his friends had to call the paramedics. When he came to, he was throwing punches at the paramedics. He had to have his stomach pumped. Finally he said, referring to himself in the third person: "A lesser man might stop drinking after something like this, but not Buffin!" Oy. When I studied for the bar, we were told to put up a picture of someone unlikely who had passed the bar, to boost our confidence;...

D and I tried to see The Good Shepherd tonight, but it doesn't come out until December 22. My enthusiasm is dampened by the fact that it's 3 hours long. But we'll probably see it anyway. "Coupling," which used to show at 10 pm on Fridays (we managed to catch it once), seems to no longer be on. Tonight they had "Secrets for Aging Skin with Dr. Denese" (who should really not be spelling her name that way). It's hard to get into the Christmas spirit when it's about 50 degrees outside and people are running around in shorts, but Sarah McLachlan's CD "Wintersong" is helping. It's really good. ~~~~ The crossing buddy is a New York phenomenon. It is a friendship that is formed without words and lasts only a few minutes. Yet it serves an important purpose. Walking is the best way to get around New York. Cabs take too long and eat up your cash. The subway is cheaper, but you have to wait for it, and half the time you end up sitting in s...

We had dinner with P last night. He's stopping in NYC between London and Ohio...he goes to film school in London. He came back looking thinner, more cosmopolitan and contact-lensed. The weight loss is apparently explained by the quality of convenience food...he says all the supermarkets are like Whole Foods, but cheaper. Not bad. The Londoners want everything organic and preservative-free and apparently the difference shows. (Which reminds me - on a plane we were served "real cheese" and crackers. I remember thinking the Europeans would never label anything that way...they'd be horrified if it wasn't real.) Anyway, P is always bursting with stories (he also explained what a dolly-grip is - someone who moves the camera around. Also, the director is seldom behind the camera; they just like to be photographed that way). He told us about a girl he is into, who has a boyfriend. The Boyfriend is very rich and invited her to live with him and his parents while she goes ...

I'm borrowing a leaf from Kitkat 's book and recording a couple of my dreams from last night. Dream #1: A certain someone who will remain nameless (not a blogger or family member) was yelling at me in an auditorium. She wanted me to sit in a certain section, while I wanted to sit in another. There was an impasse. Finally I slipped out of the auditorium, ostensibly to visit the restroom, and when I came back, she was gone. I sat where I wanted to sit. Dream #2: I was at a restaurant with D and some other people (not anyone from real life, although one of them resembled a blogger, a little bit). I saw Diane Keaton at a nearby table and went over to chat. (In real life, if you see a celebrity in a restaurant, in NYC anyway, you never go over to talk to them. It's just not on. ) Anyway, she was glad to see me, and we talked. She had a very young face though she was her current age. When I got back to my table, there was a fracas. The other people at the table were bent on steal...

We went to The Place last night with DG. It really is a fabulous/groovy/yummy restaurant. D and I were both pleased with the decor. The walls were kind of cobblestone-y (I'm sure there's some technical term for this that interior decoration mavens will know) and the dining room was underground so it felt like you were eating in a charming little grotto. I was surprised when DG commented favorably on the waiter's biceps. He said he envied them. Then the waiter said, "It's all genetic," though it emerged that he's a personal trainer as well. I also admired the short cap of hair one of the waitresses had, but both men urged me against cutting my hair. Plus I am a short hair virgin. The food was very good, though in small portions. I had sweet potato ravioli and a frisee salad with candied pistachios and bits of apple. Then we all had dessert: DG had a chocolate cake sprinkled with confectioners' sugar, D had white chocolate mousse with raspberries, and I...

I've been tagged by Irene ! 3 things that scare me: Upside down roller coasters Super-dominant women Blogger beta (do we have to change? Am I a Luddite?) 3 people who make me laugh: D My nephew Carolyn (these are not the only ones, of course) 3 things I love: Books Food Being with friends/family 3 things I hate: Driving, especially in unfamiliar areas Confrontation Danger 3 things I don't understand: Calculus Trigonometry The rules for Yankee swap at my family Christmas party 3 things on my desk: I don't have a desk, so I'll talk about my pocketbook instead. Keys (with a "Hug a Dog" keychain from my sister) Burt's Bees chapstick (though not the honey kind; I have been warned ) My wallet 3 things I'm doing right now: See, is this a trick question? I'm doing the meme, of course. And drinking water. And typing. 3 things I want to do before I die: Have a baby! Yes, the bug has bit. Publish a novel. Travel, I guess. I wouldn't mind going to London a...

Before I moved to New York, I never experienced a dog park. My dog had no truck with other dogs (dating from the day a furry torpedo shot out of its house and bit her; it was a Welsh corgi, but still) and there are no dog runs in suburban MA (to my knowledge). Anyway, D and I often have lunch at Red Bamboo, a vegetarian mecca that offers up faux chicken Parmesan and grilled soy chicken salad (grilled over open coals; fabulous). Nearby is Washington Square Park, with a special enclosed run for small dogs. A sign on the door warns against various things, including people without dogs, but I slip in anyway. Today I went there after lunch (D had a doctor's appointment) and visited with the wee dogs. One was Jack (wearing a sweatshirt that said WAGWEAR 2). Another was Frank, a delicate soul in a knit sweater. "He likes you better than the other dogs," his owner observed, before firing off questions: "Do you have a dog?" "I used to." "Are you going to g...

My niece and nephew (well, they are hardly "babes", I suppose; my niece is eleven, and my nephew is eight) said a lot of interesting things this weekend. So I figured I'd memorialize them here. To start with, they are both fascinated by our vegetarianism. We are peppered with questions every time we go home. My nephew, B, wrote in an essay for school: "I like Thanksgiving because you get to see people you don't usually see, like my Aunt Bearette and Uncle D. They are both vegetarians. They adopted two turkeys." His teacher crossed that out and wrote something to the effect of "They bought two turkeys for Thanksgiving," and B crossed that out. So B likes to ask why we became vegetarian. For D, it was when he was 16, at summer camp. For me, I was 21, shopping for dinner, and realized I didn't want to cook with slabs of raw meat. (Plus, I honestly don't like fish, and the only meat I'd been into for a while was chicken, though as a twelve-...

So we just got back from Massachusetts. We had a nice time at the party. The food was good and the Yankee swap was tame. I noticed my niece did not participate, though she did call out people's numbers. D ended up drawing the 101 Margaritas book that we bought, and although some people said, "That's a keeper," no one took it. So we have many margarita recipes; each one has either a salt shaker with a check mark or a salt shaker with a line through it. I really like flying to Boston. It only takes an hour. And they feed you. Curiously, they made me surrender my toothpaste, but allowed me to keep my razor. I guess they want you to be able to defend yourself in case there are crazies on the plane. I also patted a bomb-sniffing dog. I could tell how nice it was, and the security officer was saying that the dog is best friends with a 10-year-old girl. Finally I got close to the dog and it wagged its tail and licked my hand. It also engaged in some recreational sniffing.