Then God Made NYC.

Just after I got back from Texas, I was on yet another plane to New York City. It wasn't fun, it was for work. I love New York City, I cannot really explain it, but I have always felt I should be living there. These tiny trips just reinforce it, and it is dangerous, because I don't want to move there. But I do! But I don't. (But I do.)

When you step out into the air of New York, it just feels amazing, you can feel the energy in the air, hear so many different noises, see all the diverse people, smell the smells...it hits me like a ton of bricks, and sucks me in, and makes me never want to leave.

So many cabs, here is the taxi rank outside the door at the airport:



All those cabs are waiting, lined up to get people. I got in a screaming fight with the cab driver I landed, though. I told him I had no cash, at all, so he needed to take credit cards. He said that was fine. Then we got to a bridge and the toll was $5.50. He started screaming at me to fork over $5.50, I had to yell back and tell him, look, I TOLD YOU I didn't have any cash BEFORE I got in this car. You deal with it. He was screaming back, "Just give it to me! It is only $5.50, just give it to me! Come on!" "Did you not hear when I said I have NO money on me? That means NO MONEY. I can't give you something I don't have." Eventually he used his own money and added it to the fare, and I left him a $3 tip on a $50 cab ride. Jerk.

I stayed at a nice hotel in midtown Manhattan.



I slept in this bed:



Super cozy and nice. I didn't want to get up.

Gorgeous bathroom:



Even the toiletries were gorgeous (not very high end, though, kind of cheap):



The drinking glasses were Pyrex beakers:



So cute and thoughtful. I really liked this place. Buuuuut it is NYC, and I am tough, but not New York tough, so I rigged up a great security system. Ironing board under the door handle.



I ate at O'Casey's, because of course if you see a restaurant called O'Casey's, and you're a member of my family, you have to eat there.



Unfortunately the food wasn't good, but they had Leffe Blonde on tap. You can't get Leffe Blonde on tap anywhere in Boston.

These were the tall buildings on my street, I just love looking up in this city. I don't understand the scaffolding, though. Every time I have been there, the buildings are covered in it. Does this ever go away, or is New York just constantly regenerating?



Alas, the wonderfulness had to end, and I had to go home. This was waiting for me by my ZipCar:



I felt like I was back on Swiss Avenue in Dallas. Oh the memories of crack whores and drunken homeless people eating chicken wings on my stoop, and throwing the bones in the grass.

Welcome to Texas!

I went back to Texas for the first time last week. The first place I went, aside from the airport and Nana's house, was Wal-Mart! I was really excited to visit this wonderous place. Yes, Bostonians, there does exist a place where you can buy socks, a comforter, nails, shampoo, and breakfast all in one stop.



However, wonder soon turned to terror while I shopped. Shopping here was miserable, and I have no idea how I did it for so long...tiny kids running everywhere (directly into you, in some cases), parents not in sight, people acting like animals, no fresh produce, no good brands. I would take the Market Basket over Wal-Mart any day, though I did get some really cheap drugstore items to bring back. I spent about an hour trying to find raisins, and having a panic attack.

Most of the time was spent lounging here, next to the diving board, feet dipped into the lovely lagoon. The weather was nice, but very hot. I thought the heat would kill me, but it felt pretty normal, and nice.



This is where I stayed:



Such a lovely guest house! No running water, but hey, who needs it?

It rained a lot, Nana and I were shopping when these dark clouds rolled in. Do you have any idea how nice it was to drive to stores? And not have to pay to park?

My Rite Aid drugstore here in Boston has metered parking. At a drugstore. Please.



Here is the Texas flag that hangs in Nana's backyard. She made it herself. It sort of makes me tear up looking at it.



When I left Boston, it was in the 60s for the highs. In Texas, at 2pm, it was nearly 100. Every day when we woke up, it was well in the high 80s already.



The trip was a success, but made me more homesick. I am getting back in the groove now, back to the daily grind of Bean Town.

Everyone goes NUTS for summer in Boston. It makes sense -- they have 10 months of freezing cold, so they need to soak up the sun during those remaining two months. People are everywhere.

This picture is for Nana:



Remember when we went to the Aquarium and had lunch? And there was no one there? Look at the crowds this summer!

4th of July

The 4th of July is a huge thing in Boston, of course. We had big plans to watch the Boston Pops and Neil Diamond at the Hatch Shell on the 3rd, but rainstorms loomed so we couldn't go. Then we were going to watch them read the Declaration of Independence at the old State House, but the MBTA red line foiled that plan. Soooo....we ended up having a very all-American picnic, then watching the fireworks.

We stood on a bridge to watch, the bridges closer to the esplanade would have been too crowded. These were the cars passing beneath us.



Then the fireworks began:



And went on:



And ended:

Amaze A Ball!

Mogwai has started to have some separation anxiety, or behavioral issues, or she's found her inner puppy or something. Every single day while I am at work, she pulls all the sheets and the three down blankets off the bed, and tumps her water dishes on them. Every effing day I get home and the house is ripped apart. I needed to find something to keep her happy -- voila! The Amaze A Ball!

You put kibble or small treats in it, and the dog knocks it all around the house causing the treats to fall out. Now, Mogwai is as dumb as a box of rocks, as most of you know, but she figured it out. Now she can't stop.

You all know how fat she is -- this dog has crawled under chairs, under furniture, even under the bed to chase this ball. Today, in fact, she got stuck under the bed with the ball. I had to rescue her.

I plan on setting up the web cam to catch her tearing the place up, and will take video of her with the Amaze A Ball once I clean the house.

Why can't I clean the house? I need some motivation. It is really bad, the health department is going to condemn it pretty soon.

Jacket Obsession.

I admit, I have become addicted to jackets. It is kind of like those kids that are all straight and narrow in high school, never exposed to anything immoral...when they finally get to college they go nuts. I never got to buy jackets, so now that I have a use for them, I have gone crazy. I have now officially purchased 14 jackets since I arrived -- wool coats, parkas, down jackets, microfiber jackets, rain coats, you name it, I have it.

It all started with trial and error, though. Before I left Texas, I bought the warmest coat that I could find. I thought I was all set. But noooo...that "warmest" Texas coat only got me through two weeks in November here. The next one I bought was a cheap parka from Target...nowhere near warm enough. Then came massive research into the intricacies of "what makes a jacket warm." You need inner stretchy cuffs to keep the cold out of your sleeves, you must have an attached hood, an inner neck sleeve thing that zips over your face is also a must, also temperature rating: -0 is a MUST for me.

Below are the newest added to the collection, I am going to kick winter's ass next year:



Coat 12, above, is the lovely Delancey coat from Lands' End. I am quickly discovering that Lands' End has the warmest coats within my budget. REI has the warmest coats of all, but they cost an arm and a leg! Dri-off finish for those blizzardy days, Polar Thin insulation, zip-up neck warmer, handwarmer pockets, inner knit cuffs...awesome. -15 rating, $159 on clearance for $59.99.



Coat number 13, lucky 13! Weatherly Jacket. Waterproof, Polar Thin insulation, sherpa collar, handwarmer pockets, -10 rating, $59.50 on clearance for $29.99. This one is super light, but super warm, will be perfect for the fall.

I also treated myself to this hat to match:



I am going to look like April from In Treatment...minus the whole cancer thing.


Jacket 14, microfiber rain coat. No hood, which is upsetting, but I bought a cute little rain hat. The no hood is going to drive me nuts. $79, I paid $31.

I had the Kelly Raincoat, the only coat I paid full price for, but on my quest to become Amy Winehouse, it doesn't fit anymore. So mad! $149 down the drain. Anyone need a gorgeous wonderful rain coat? If not, I am paying to have it tailored, because it is worth it.

So now you must be thinking, wow, 14 coats, she's done, right? Nope. The ones below are on my list -- I am checking these daily. When I have enough money in about two weeks, if they are still on sale and still available, they are mine.

Petite Commuter Coat, so cute and stylish. Perfect for fall and spring.

Single breasted trench, perfect for spring. I want this one NOW, eying it for #15.

Ideal perfect wonderful jacket. Only one size left, and alas, it isn't mine. But I expect this coat to come out again in the fall, and I will pay full price for it. -25 degrees, totally worth it.

Very ugly coat, but rated -40. It is SO mine.

A couple of more things I need for my assault on winter 2009-2010 and the eventual move to Moscow:



Ski mask. I know it is totally pervy to people in Texas, but I need it.

A really good fleece jacket for under my heavy jacket. Layering!

Really good fleece/thermal pants for under my work pants.

Keep these in mind for Mexican Independence Day!

Another Photo Dump

So I joined the YMCA, so I can complete my transformation into Amy Winehouse. It is right across the street from my house, so I have no excuses not to go. In fact, since I see it 800 times a day, it is always on my mind, so maybe the locale motivation thing is backfiring.



It has been too cool to use the air conditioning. Apparently window units only work when it gets above 80 or so, otherwise they just blow room temperature air. So now we are doing fans in the window, and Mogwai loves the fans as much as she loves the air conditioner. Excuse the dust, but you know my style is super dirty.



This is what I ate all last week. I am getting so adventurous in cooking! I NEVER would have cooked for myself this time last year. The whole meal has less than 400 calories, no preservatives, and tastes amazing -- suck it Lean Cuisine!

It is turkey meatloaf made with steel cut oats instead of bread crumbs, poultry seasoning, and some shredded carrots topped with a bit of light turkey gravy. Roasted red potatoes -- Renaked's recipe, minus the olive oil. And finally, carrots simmered for over an hour in apple cider. If you decide to make those, just know, they're like crack -- you cannot stop once you've had one.



Mogwai lost her dog tag in a tragic walking accident in Brookline. She has been acting really emo lately, so I bought her the black one below. It just arrived in the mail today, very stylish, and all the information was correct! I was really expecting they would make a mistake on the phone number or address, with my luck...if you want an awesome dog tag cheap and quick, go to www.luckypet.com. It came in less than a week, and looks great.

Duck Parade

I know! It has been over a month since I posted. One of the fun things we did was go to the annual Duckling Day Parade in the Boston Public Gardens. You can read about it here. It is based on the book Make Way For Ducklings, that you can read about here! Basically it is a story about a mama and papa duck in Boston who decide to make their home in the duck pond at the public garden. Apparently they march through the streets trying to get to the pond, and every Mother's Day, kids from all over dress up like ducklings and re-create the story.

The Harvard band began the parade, and there were giant police horses:



They have permanent statues of the ducks in the park. For some reason people like to steal them. Frequently.



Stories on stolen ducks, if you are interested. Apparently they have been stolen five times in Bean Town. Moscow (my future home) has the same duckling statues, and those get stolen, too. Poor ducks.

So...the Green Line.

There was a green line crash yesterday, at Government Center. Note that is the train I take every single day, changing from the E to the D at Government Center, then back from the D to the E again in the afternoon.

Turns out the driver was text messaging his girlfriend when it happened. You can read about it here. Remember when I saw that green line driver on his cell phone for 10+ stops? This is what happens when they do that. They CRASH TRAINS.

All I can think about are two things -- what kind of liability policy they have, and what the per-event limits are.

And, I believe Bob actually did what I asked him to, in a rather creative and roundabout way, which at the time I thought was impossible. See anything here, Bob? I feel like I'm in an episode of Twin Peaks. I hope my hair turns white.

More Food -- Can You Ever Get Sick of Food?

Meg has inspired me, I have been cooking. Gasp!! You have all heard the saga about Mogwai's tummy issues. She is now on salmon, sweet potatoes, and eggs. The craziest part? I am making it all from scratch -- fresh organic ingredients, cooking them up, mashing them together. She loves the food, and her tummy has never been happier!

This is what it looks like. Not anywhere near as pretty as any of Meg's food, but it tastes good!



Note: I still have no pots or pans or silverware. Everything cooked here used none of the above! A microwave, a disposable cookie sheet, tin foil, plastic forks and knives, and my lone sauce pan...you know, the one I have been using to wash my hair in the bath, since my shower curtain broke. It is a multi-purpose sauce pan!

I let her lick the bowl, cause I'm a nice dog mom like that. But also, it is evidence that the food is awesome, and she just might be the happiest dog in the world.

(Don't show this to P Daddy -- he will never eat at my house!)



This is my made-up bean salad, inspired by Meg's fantastic Mexican bean salad we had a few weeks ago. It is green beans, black beans, and cannellini beans, mixed with a bit of reduced fat feta and Ken's super light basalmic vinaigrette. My absolute favorite current meal, and it is so good for me. I feel healthier just looking at it.



I have been bringing that to work, or this:



Like I said, my good doesn't always look good, but it tastes fantastic. Parboiled long grain brown rice, cut green beans, peas, carrots, eggs, fresh chicken breast, and taco seasoning. It sounds weird, but it makes sense in my mouth, and is amazingly good for you.

Here is Random Mogwai.



And here are Random Tulips. Boston is gorgeous right now, flowers everywhere, trees green, grass growing again, it is amazing to see the cycles of nature -- something we don't see in Texas.

Air Conditioner Obsession OVER

So M & S gave me their old air conditioner on layaway until the next time I get paid. It is actually already really hot in my apartment. The thermostat is around 80 and not budging. That is really, really warm to a Texan inside her own apartment.

I got the air conditioner in, hiding the view from Meg because my apartment is a biohazard right now. It was really easy to put it in the window, and get it all sorted out.

But something VERY unexpected happened....Mogwai fell in love with it.

When I got home after the warm day yesterday, she was in full-on panting mode, she was really hot from being cooped up all day in my oven house.

This is her, looking so happy, once I turned it on:



She was thinking, WOW, mom can read my mind! This is exactly what I needed!



But the problem is, she refuses to leave it! The following photos were taken between yesterday and right now. She literally has only moved to get water, then she gets right back up.



She won't even lay on the sofa with me to watch TV, like normal. She has completely abandoned me for a machine!



Still no movement! She is alive, but just will not leave it.



I have truly never seen anything like this with her before. She has never found a spot and refused to move.



Even right now, she is in front of it. I have a feeling she will be there until the end of time.

So thank you M & S for helping Mogwai find her one true love, and for calming my brain down. Only problem is....now I think I need a second one for the living room!

Will this ever end?!?

Vachement Bien!

Yesterday was amazing. Meg took me to the South End to explore, and have fantastic food and fun.

The whole area is beautiful, old brownstone buildings with wrought iron banisters, old alley ways, and gorgeous trees just starting to turn pink with flowers.

Red door/blue door rivalry:



Trees in bloom everywhere:



An alley that looked to perfect not to take a photo:



We ate at The Butcher Shop, which is a restaurant owned by Barbara Lynch (home of the 16$ hot dog!). Food was amazing, salad, cheese plate, bread and honey. Bread and honey sounds simple, but this was perhaps one of the best things I have ever eaten. See the aftermath below:



Boston looks a lot like NYC when it gets warm -- people everywhere. Everywhere. Dogs, kids, bicycles, skateboards, just great energy all over the place:



More flowers in Brookline:



And two more....first, Marriott Copley. Need I say more?



Second, weiners.

Secret Photos.

There are two people that I want to get photos of, for all of you to see.

1. The Rascal. Need I say more?

2. Scratch off guy.

My house is the last on the street, the only thing closer to the corner is a little market. There is a very odd man who goes into the store, buys a bunch of scratch off tickets, and walks in front of my house to scratch them off. He huddles over the city garbage can, and scratches furiously. I am not talking about one ticket, I am talking about tens and tens and tens of tickets at a time.

It is really bizarre, because he is trying desperately to hide his scratching. When I walk by, he sort of perks his head up, and covers up the tickets, and tries to look around and act casual.

There isn't anything casual about a guy hanging out, staring into the garbage can.

He scratches and scratches, and goes back in for more. And hides behind the building at the trash can, and scratches more and more.

Sometimes I miss him, but I see the aftermath. He never puts the tickets into the trash can, he leaves them on the ledge. Why does he do that?

He tries to hide the act, so why not hide the evidence also?

I don't think he ever wins. I wonder if you can be addicted to scratch offs.

Or to a Rascal.

Thank you for dying, Jesus!

Because I got some tasty food out of it, and even better fun.

In case you haven't figured it out, Meg is an amazing cook. Look at this feast she prepared for us!

Green beans, mushrooms, and almonds. Turns out I love green beans.



Deviled eggs, that ladies aren't supposed to eat (but we did, and we loved every minute). One had smoked salmon, one all kinds of tasty herbs, both = happiness.



This was the sacrificial lamb, covered in the marinade before cooking. It was stuffed with chorizo stuffing. Somehow I missed the potatoes! Those were fantastic, smokey potatoes. I am sorry, poor potatoes.



This is what it looked like after being cooked and cut. You can see the stuffing in the middle


This is what it all looked like together, before entering my belly.



Isn't that beautiful?

And last but not least, the cake. 2nd best dessert I have ever had, the first, of course, being the bleu cheese souffle.



First Easter in Boston was amazing. Lots of wine, lots of laughs, food coma, and a bite of lamb for Mogwai. Life is good!