Potatoes in the Mist

So, as you probably know, the east coast is supposed to get hit by this epic storm tomorrow and Sunday. I'm skeptical. The weather channel is famous for making much ado about nothing. But the MTA (subways, buses, Long Island railroad) is shutting down at noon today so none of the cashiers at the grocery stores will be able to make it to work (or get home if they took a subway before the shutdown). So I and a few million other New Yorkers were stocking up at the grocery store today. I personally feel we are just going to get some rain tomorrow and some wind on Sunday, but we'll see.

So I just saw Crazy, Stupid, Love ...much better than I expected! I am always cautious going into movies because a lot of them are bad. But this one was definitely good. I realized I almost always like Steve Carell movies...I didn't see Date Night , but I liked Dan in Real Life and Little Miss Sunshine. I think he is a more subtle and interesting actor on the big screen (not that I have anything against The Office , but he definitely has a broad, hammy role there. Oh, I guess he left. We don't have a TV, can you tell?) The other actors: Julianne Moore was good, although it was not always a sympathetic role for her. Her face looks a bit like Madonna's in some shots. Emma Stone reminds me a bit of Michael Jackson, her face. She is likable enough though. Ryan Gosling was very funny.

Just had the best grilled cheese sandwich ever (I made it!). Proof that good, simple ingredients can really make something special. 2 slices whole wheat bread 1 August tomato, bursting with juiciness 3 slices of Havarti 1/2 tablespoon sweet cream butter

Just a note to say...I love the bus! I never bothered to figure it out before, I always took the subway or walked. But now when I'm big and pregnant, the air conditioning/lack of stairs on the bus are welcome. The crosstown bus is slow as molasses, but the uptown/downtown one is fairly quick and endearingly social. A woman showed me a cowl she was knitting for her son-in-law with British-style increases. Speaking of the British, I'm reading the Agatha Raisin mystery series by M.C. Beaton. It's a lot of fun. Agatha is kind of a curmudgeon, but also very likable.

In the morning I often take a walk, and I always pass by a bakery in my neighborhood. It's really good; it rivals Magnolia, but it's less of a mob scene, with a charming retro atmosphere. Anyway, my walk is too early for the bakery to be open, but there is always a guy out back cleaning the coffee machine and taking the muffins out of the oven. They have a full array of cupcakes: vanilla and chocolate, carrot cake and banana, lemon (spring/summer) and pumpkin (fall/winter). Now I am craving one, but will have to wait until they are open. Or maybe it will pass :)

Just a note to say that E is doing so much better with the toilet training! Proof that if you stick with something, you can succeed. Other than that, not much going on. E is starting preschool in September. Although it seems to be a very nice place, I'm a little bit in denial. I'm afraid I'm going to miss him terribly. So I plan to keep myself busy. I have a lot of knitting projects queued, including a blanket for the new baby, and I will finally move some of our things into storage.