Potatoes in the Mist

It feels like there is a bowling ball in my pelvis. A heavy one. Not the kind you use with candlepin bowling. But I guess it's normal. The doctor I saw last time told me everyone has pelvic pain and everyone has back pain; the thing to worry about is if my whole stomach gets hard. That's an early contraction. I'm glad she told me that, because I had no idea what a contraction felt like. I should tell you we had a very good dinner tonight. D was going to his doctor and so we met at this Burmese place near the doctor's office. I had steamed vegetables with peanut sauce on the side (they serve it that way :) and yellow rice which had bits of corn in it. The rice might sound iffy to you, but it worked. The dessert (which they gave us automatically) consisted of fresh orange slices. If they were closer, I'd go there more often.

So D and I had a fabulous dinner. I was off swimming and he called Babbo to see if they had a table available. Turns out they had a last-minute cancellation and could accommodate us at 5:30. Pregnant women like to eat early and often, so I was up for it (after a little concern about the non-vegetarian-ness of the menu. AND they broke D's "household pet" rule -- they had rabbit on the menu. But he wanted to go anyway.) We've been there before, but tonight was our best experience there. We sat upstairs, away from the hustle and bustle. Two tall, thin bookcases filled with wine stood against the walls. The women's bathroom had a tub of pretty flowers. I ended up getting: roasted beets with ricotta salata (though D's appetizer, a mushroom crepe with vinaigrette, was better and I need to remember to get that when we go back. Neci con funghi mista, I think it was called). pumpkin lune (homemade pasta stuffed with pumpkin, in a moon shape, hence the name) chocolate ...

So D and I tried a new restaurant tonight. To be precise, it was a new branch. We'd been to their other location. But this one was better. It was as campy as it gets. The menus were record covers (I got "Stayin' Alive", D got 70s-era Barry Manilow) and there were display cases in the wall with different themes: Hairspray (featuring Edna and Tracy Turnblad dolls), Menudo (featuring 5 dolls in sweaters, plus a photo of the actual members, wearing Speedos with hairless chests) and Michael Jackson (a Michael Jackson doll with life-size handcuffs dangling above. No little boys.) Anyway, the bathroom had a star on the door that said Justin Timberlake. I went in and it was hilarious. There was a display case that said JUSTIN and SEXY, with a shirtless picture of him and a shirtless boy-doll. One entire wall was a tile mosaic, with him in a white suit, foot on top of a disco ball (like his CD cover). Inside the bathroom, "What Comes Around" piped in (while other mus...

A couple of things happened tonight: 1) I patted a black cat who lives in a shop near my apartment. He's not as outgoing as Rainer, but he rubbed his head against my knee and seemed to enjoy the contact. Another cat was nearby and I patted him, too, but when I started patting the black cat, the other cat hissed angrily and went away. "He gets jealous really easily," the owner explained. 2) We ate in an outdoor garden (at a restaurant). Years ago we saw someone taking a shower in one of the apartments above the restaurant. Tonight there was another visible shower-taker; it was a guy, judging from the arms and shoulders and vigorous soaping movements. The window was fogged up, but it was clear enough to see his shape. You'd think they'd catch on that there's a courtyard of onlookers below!

So D and I just ate at a diner we like -- French toast for him, veggie burger for me. This is a seriously cheap diner -- you can get a large, filling meal for $5-$8. Anyway, applause broke out as we were eating. We looked up and saw a guy posed, very theatrically, on bended knee, facing a giggling girl. He held a ring box in his hand. A strategically-placed photographer snapped a picture. D and I both wondered why he proposed there? It's the NYC equivalent of Bickford's or IHOP. We came up with a couple of theories: 1. It's their favorite place. 2. He figured she would really be surprised.

So tonight, we went to Rainer-land. But first, we stopped at Fornino for some yummy, thin-crust pizza. I highly recommend them if you live in NYC. They have a great variety of pies, a cheerful staff, and an impressive selection of desserts. Even better, they don't play any songs after 1989. The Doobie Brothers, the Bee Gees, early Michael Jackson, and De Barge all made an appearance. The waitress recommended the tartufo, which pretty much knocked our socks off. (We put them back on before we left.) It's hard to describe, but it was kind of slices of chocolate ice cream with an accent of vanilla ice cream, and it had a crisp-but-not-hard chocolate coating. The plate was also dotted with whipped cream and sprinkled with cocoa powder. Rainer was elated to see me...not to brag or anything ;) He was a kneading maniac, moving from my legs to my hipbones and stomach. I think he has very sound judgment -- he relaxes when the music is soft and mellow, and doesn't like it when songs ...

Last night I had dinner with A and E. Both of them are teachers, and the strain of a new year was showing. I hope it gets easier for them. I liked the restaurant a lot. I got there a few minutes early so I busied myself by reading the review outside. It explained that everything -- the pale orange of the walls, the "banal" music -- was designed to soothe. There is even a box inside with a fortune for every diner. "Fortune, no cookie," the review explained. Mine said something like, "Life can only give you what you are willing to put into it." A's fortune was more convoluted, suggesting that "by being in the moment, your personality" will transform something. Neither of us could follow it. It was a bit of a sketchy neighborhood. Some guy offered to "show me something" and then said "You don't even have to get on," pointing to his skateboard. Then someone asked us for money, heavily slurring his words. A said, "Ther...

Inspired by Roxanne 's fun striped bag, I'm working on a purple-and-pink knitted pocketbook. I've been doing various projects to use up the yarn I have, without adding new skeins to the stash. It's funny, I haven't made anything on straight needles in a while, since I make hats in the round. It feels like going back to nature or something ;) D and I tried a new Indian resto with AT. The portions were small and the flavors were interesting. They even had a blueberry tapioca dessert which was delicious, but not heavy. D did not fare as well -- his fried cauliflower with sweet-and-sour sauce (recommended by the waiter!) tasted disgusting to all three of our palates, as if it might have spoiled. They did bring him something else, fortunately, but he still gave the food a B minus. I'm hoping he'll go back; I'll steer him toward better choices on the menu ;) In the background, a Bollywood movie was playing. I'm reading The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian. ...

So tonight D and I were eating outdoors and a man stopped at our table with a camera. He asked if we wanted to be interviewed about our dining experience. D's immediate reaction upon seeing a camera is always NO. However, I kind of wanted to be interviewed, and by the time the second cameraman came around, I said yes. I blathered on a bit about the restaurant, my dish, etc., with the camera periodically zooming in on my lasagna or my face. I can only hope there wasn't sauce on it ;) Anyway, if y'all want to see the clip, it should be online sometime in September at nwhyc.com. The site has not been launched yet. We saw an adorable Akita (fluffy wolfhound-type dog) approach the outdoor tables. His owner called out to a tall waiter with a dancer's carriage: "I'll have a double Jack Daniels...and your phone number." Later, he lamented, "Where is that hot boy waiter?" His dog needed some water.

So today I got to meet Roxanne and her husband, R. Roxanne was instantly likable -- relaxed and mellow with a soothing presence. We all had brunch at Good in the Village. There was no wait, a rarity. I guess everyone cleared out for the Fourth of July weekend. Roxanne got the batido of the day, which was supposed to be banana pineapple, but it was pink! However, it looked and tasted yummy (I am told). They were on top of their game with the pancakes, too. I checked out the French toast a nearby patron got -- thick slices of bread with cream cheese spread inside, sprinkled with banana slices. I fear it would be too heavy, but it's nice to ogle. Afterward D went for a bike ride and the three of us continued on to Purl , New York's best yarn store (in my opinion, anyway). I love reveling in the colors and textures. I had a gift certificate to burn, and Roxanne picked up some sock yarn. Here's the adorable dishcloth Roxanne gave me: And the yarn I bought: I'm glad they cam...

We had dinner last night with a couple of friends, T and A (I know, I know ;). The waiter, whom I've known for a while, suddenly had wild, red bushy hair; the look was not unflattering, but made him seem like a mountain man. As he brought our dishes, he said, "You're the special nuggets, you're the five treasures, etc.," referring to us by our entree names. This sparked a memory for him, which he shared. As a child, he was eating out with his family, and they all ordered sodas, which was a rare event, he said. They were all excited. The waiter brought them their drinks and said, "You must be the Coke, you must be the ___." Then he contemplated the youngest, who was small for his age, and said, "You must be the squirt." Everyone laughed and the poor kid was traumatized. The thing was, he actually did order a squirt. I think it was a grape soda of some kind. I also got thinking about T's hair. She's worn it short for a while, and I though...

So last night we went to Dumont and the Rainer bookstore with DG. It was fabulous to see Rainer, as always. He abandoned some other girl to come over to me. (I know, it's unseemly to be happy about that...but I am. I like being his favorite :) And when I left, he cried. Just once, but it was really heartbreaking. I patted him some more and promised him I'd come back. And then he calmed down. We shared 2 desserts at the resto...apple crumble and chocolate chip cookie. Surprisingly, I preferred the cookie. I usually like the fruit-based desserts, but it was just not sweet enough. I have a quantity of yarn that I intended to use for a sweater, but I ended up using other yarn. So now I'm making hats and other accessories to use it up. I've done two hats with it so far. Hats are probably my favorite thing to knit. Simple, but they can embellished. And they don't take too long. One more thing. I had mentioned librarything.com before. Well, it's this fun (and incredib...

So D and I went to Angelica Kitchen for lunch today. This is one of my favorite vegan restaurants. Anyway, we walk in and who do we see but Parker Posey! Facing the door, directly in front of us. I nudged D. Me: (sotto voce) There's Parker Posey! D: Where? Me: Right in front of us! D: Where? Me: THE BRUNETTE WITH THE CAMERA! RIGHT THERE! The hostess: Right this way, please. It was very exciting. PP is very petite and looks about 32 (though I think she is 38). She was eating with a blonde girl I didn't recognize, no one famous. For the rest of lunch, we fought the urge to stare. I never approach celebrities. I wouldn't know what to say, I wouldn't want to freak them out, and it feels gauche, somehow. Yet it is exciting to see them. D thought her clothes were frumpy, but I thought they were fine (white flowered shirt, kind of baggy, with jeans). She wore her hair pulled back. When she left the restaurant, she put on a big pair of sunglasses. The restaurant has big plate ...

So that time has come again. I am looking for book recommendations. Feel free to recommend any and all books you love in the comment section. If you want to leave a long rambly comment with multiple recommendations, so much the better. A small confession. D and I went to Dumont Burger in Brooklyn for lunch. We sat at the bar and D was fascinated by all the brightly-colored liquor (the shiny blue of Bombay Sapphire, the cat's-eye topaz of the Scotch.) Suddenly he started bombarding me with questions about blood alcohol content, and if someone drank the whole bottle of Scotch, would it kill them? I really don't know. He thinks it would. After the meal, we headed to the cat bookstore. There are two cats, a black one with white socks, and Rainer, who has black-and-grey stripes. The black cat is sweet but lacks Rainer's charisma. Anyway, Rainer always sits in my lap. But we entered the bookstore...and (gasp!) Rainer was perched on the lap of another. I was stung, but had to say ...

I have a bit of a travel bug. Usually I want to stay firmly rooted in New York, but a few places are beckoning me right now... London. Our friend P is there, I like it, but I have been there before so it won't have the novelty thing going on. However, they have many books by British authors before the US gets them...always a perk. I don't know what the weather is like there right now. Oh, I think it's snowing (based on British blogs I read). Tokyo. Maybe by way of San Fran or L.A. Thailand. If we went there, we would go after D's friend moves there. Or maybe just San Fran by itself. Last night we went to a resto with DG. I used to love the place to the utmost, but they've brightened the lights, killing the atmosphere, and it's obscenely crowded. As usual we were relegated to a couch under the stairs. And the waitress seemed to be on crack (until DG asked her if she was an actress, due to her dramatic energy. This seemed to anger her and she faded away.) So, I do...

So D and I saw a movie last night, The Lives of Others. It was a foreign film playing at the Angelica (an "artsy" theater), but due to a positive review from A.O. Scott in the New York Times, the place was packed. The movie was about life in East Germany before the wall fell. It was extremely interesting (it was actually a bit of a thriller, with a fair amount of suspense), but it was depressing also. It got under my skin more than D's...I was still thinking about it that night and this morning. We went to Good for brunch and I had my usual bowl of mixed fruit with vanilla yogurt, but also tried their corn arepas. They had a strong, sour flavor (maybe lime?) so next time I would probably get a side of two pancakes instead.

So I'm not going to meet the three-year-old tonight. Hopefully I'll meet her another time. I did hear a fun story about her, though. Today the little girl visited the publication where her mother works. She met the editor-in-chief. Their conversation went as follows: Editor-in-chief: You're cute! Three-year-old: You're cute! I bet the editor was happy to hear that :) For lunch, I had one of my favorite meals ever: a signature salad from Cosi (greens, grapes, pears, dried cranberries, and pistachios) and a slice of their bread, fresh from the oven. There are very few things better than that.

D and I stopped at the Hungarian bakery tonight. It's actually featured in the novel Model Student... the protagonist went to Columbia and ate there. Anyway, my favorite thing to get there is the lemon petit four. It's big enough to share, which we did. And I remember once I got it when we were with MF, and I waxed so enthusiastic about it that he said, "It's a petit five!" Another dessert memory: in high school, a group of friends and I went to the Sylvan Street Grille (in Massachusetts). Tantalized by the dessert menu, we decided to return someday and order every dessert on the menu. Sadly, we never did this. (Actually, it's probably a good thing...we would have been sick.) This brings me to the dessert hierarchy. I bet every woman has one (unless you are equal opportunity). Mine is as follows: Pie - not so much, except apple and pumpkin on special occasions. Blueberry pie = meh. Brownies - good. Cake - good, unless it's chocolate. Italian-style cookies ...

Today, D and I took a trip to Brooklyn. I brought my camera because I wanted to immortalize my Brooklyn cat on film. But then I saw a bunch of other interesting sights (for example, a Christmas tree bedecked in popcorn and Froot Loops). Here is the chickpea burger I consumed at Dumont Burger. It was preceded by butternut squash soup, which was lovely. This is a dachshund I met on the way to pat my cat. It had a charming face, but it didn't stay still long enough for me to capture it. I know you admire its red-and-white striped sweater. This cake must be for a bachelorette party. They had a bachelor cake, too, but it was a little indecent (see-through nightie). Rainer and me. Rainer is named after Rainer Maria Rilke or Fassbinder (Vossbinder?) according to the nice, earnest owner. Another shot of Rainer. I like how he rests his paw on my boot. And finally, a vampiric invitation on the subway:

We went to Zen Palate with AT tonight. In its own quiet way, Zen Palate is one of my favorite restaurants in NYC. D blasphemously claims that San Fran restaurants are better than New York's, but I think San Fran lacks good middle-of-the-road restaurants. It has great high-end restaurants (Millennium; a Greek restaurant called Kakkori Estiatoria or something similar; Chez Panisse in nearby Berkeley), but if you don't want to spend a small fortune, you're stuck eating at an Indian restaurant whose menu features male goat brain. (I guess the female brain is not as tasty.) At Zen Palate, I like to get the veggie loaf with spaghetti; the veggie loaf is similar to meatballs but much better. For dessert, D got a vegan chocolate raspberry cake, while AT and I both opted for banana pie. The cake was delicious. Also, I added Scotland, PA to my lengthy Netflix queue (about 400 movies) based on AT's recommendation. What could be wrong with a Macbeth retelling set at a fast-food res...