The Scoop at Diesel Cafe in Davis Square: hummus, sourdough bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, mixed greens, sprouts, carrots and radishes. YUM!
Friday, February 12, 2010
Fat, Begone!
Behold, my flagship dinner on Day One of re-starting Weight Watchers (or, at least, following the Points system on my own...):
The Scoop at Diesel Cafe in Davis Square: hummus, sourdough bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, mixed greens, sprouts, carrots and radishes. YUM!
The Scoop at Diesel Cafe in Davis Square: hummus, sourdough bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, mixed greens, sprouts, carrots and radishes. YUM!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
The Big Apple Redeemed
For a long time, I wasted a lot of energy hating New York City.
I partially blame my upbringing in the semi-rural Midwest, which made visiting a stiflingly-large city filled with fast-moving, brash individuals just about as alien as you can get.
But I mostly blame my previous two visits there. In high school, I followed around my parents, who insisted on traditional sightseeing stops, and little cousin, who insisted on shopping. We did see The Lion King, which was spectacular, but overall I don't have fond memories. I think it was hot, and my dad decided to eat at pretty much the same deli every day. Come on, Dad...do you know how many good restaurants there are in this city?
Fast-forward to college, when I still lived in the semi-rural Midwest, and I went to NYC with some friends to visit my roommate. I remember getting lost driving in the city, running around trying to find student-discount Broadway tickets, and sleeping on a cold, hard floor. Oh and my cat died while I was there. So again...not fond memories.
So naturally, now that I've been in Boston for a while and more acclimated to urban living, AND now that it only costs about $40 round-trip to get down to NYC, I couldn't find a reason not to give it another shot. Joel and I took a quick, un-eventful bus ride and BAM. It was that easy. It helped that he has a friend in the city who has a much warmer floor, too.
In addition to spending time with Ms. Jen, we:
-Enjoyed free folk music at the American Folk Art Museum
-Shared plates of noodles and seafood at Chai Thai
-Sipped exquisitely expensive cocktails at The Library Hotel's rooftop lounge, Bookmarks
-Scored cheap tickets to darkly funny off-broadway show, Smudge
-Stuffed ourselves with pierogi, goulash and kielbasa at Little Poland
-Ate bagels, NY style pizza, and drank Max Brenner's hot chocolate
-Rode the tram from Roosevelt Island to the main island of Manhattan, enjoying the views as we crossed the water
And with that ride, as I watched the traffic below zip along the streets, I gave New York a reprieve. There is a beauty there it might take a little effort to see, but it's there. I even saw it as we wandered along the windy streets in 15 degree weather. I would still never live there, but I don't think I have to waste any energy hating it anymore.
Joel and Jen, thanks. :)
I partially blame my upbringing in the semi-rural Midwest, which made visiting a stiflingly-large city filled with fast-moving, brash individuals just about as alien as you can get.
But I mostly blame my previous two visits there. In high school, I followed around my parents, who insisted on traditional sightseeing stops, and little cousin, who insisted on shopping. We did see The Lion King, which was spectacular, but overall I don't have fond memories. I think it was hot, and my dad decided to eat at pretty much the same deli every day. Come on, Dad...do you know how many good restaurants there are in this city?
Fast-forward to college, when I still lived in the semi-rural Midwest, and I went to NYC with some friends to visit my roommate. I remember getting lost driving in the city, running around trying to find student-discount Broadway tickets, and sleeping on a cold, hard floor. Oh and my cat died while I was there. So again...not fond memories.
So naturally, now that I've been in Boston for a while and more acclimated to urban living, AND now that it only costs about $40 round-trip to get down to NYC, I couldn't find a reason not to give it another shot. Joel and I took a quick, un-eventful bus ride and BAM. It was that easy. It helped that he has a friend in the city who has a much warmer floor, too.
In addition to spending time with Ms. Jen, we:
-Enjoyed free folk music at the American Folk Art Museum
-Shared plates of noodles and seafood at Chai Thai
-Sipped exquisitely expensive cocktails at The Library Hotel's rooftop lounge, Bookmarks
-Scored cheap tickets to darkly funny off-broadway show, Smudge
-Stuffed ourselves with pierogi, goulash and kielbasa at Little Poland
-Ate bagels, NY style pizza, and drank Max Brenner's hot chocolate
-Rode the tram from Roosevelt Island to the main island of Manhattan, enjoying the views as we crossed the water
And with that ride, as I watched the traffic below zip along the streets, I gave New York a reprieve. There is a beauty there it might take a little effort to see, but it's there. I even saw it as we wandered along the windy streets in 15 degree weather. I would still never live there, but I don't think I have to waste any energy hating it anymore.
Joel and Jen, thanks. :)
Strikethrough
I love Google Tasks.
Not only do I love seeing exactly what I need to be doing at any given time, I also love to see those tasks in Strikethrough mode once they're done. (I'm assuming Google realized that everyone does, considering your finished tasks will actually stay in this mode until you physically remove them.) The most rewarding occurred the other day: Taxes. There is nothing quite as wonderful as seeing the word "taxes" in strikethrough, especially after you've spent two hours wondering how in the world you're going to file as a business owner even though you thought you'd been working directly for a company the whole year.
Also currently on my task list in strikethrough, because I like looking at them:
-Revised Stories/Seminar Proposal
-Get new Social Security Card
-Send in change of time to Direct Loans
-Talk to VW about selling car
Sadly, still on the list without that satisfying line through them, are:
-Sell Car
-Get Job
-Submit Stories to Lit Magazines
-Get Teeth Cleaned
The fourth one has been on there for about 2 years. I floss, okay?
I really don't know how I've gone so long without embracing lists, high-tech or otherwise. Because I get just as much pleasure out of adding new tasks as I do at striking them out. It says, "Look! Your life has meaning even though you're currently underemployed and spend a lot of the day at home! You still have all this stuff to do!"
I have also recently started a task list for the blog posts I want to write. I'm not including that in here because that would be ruining the surprise. Although, I can probably now cross off the one at the top... "Write blog post about task lists." Yup, that one is now done.
Strikethrough.
Not only do I love seeing exactly what I need to be doing at any given time, I also love to see those tasks in Strikethrough mode once they're done. (I'm assuming Google realized that everyone does, considering your finished tasks will actually stay in this mode until you physically remove them.) The most rewarding occurred the other day: Taxes. There is nothing quite as wonderful as seeing the word "taxes" in strikethrough, especially after you've spent two hours wondering how in the world you're going to file as a business owner even though you thought you'd been working directly for a company the whole year.
Also currently on my task list in strikethrough, because I like looking at them:
-Revised Stories/Seminar Proposal
-Get new Social Security Card
-Send in change of time to Direct Loans
-Talk to VW about selling car
Sadly, still on the list without that satisfying line through them, are:
-Sell Car
-Get Job
-Submit Stories to Lit Magazines
-Get Teeth Cleaned
The fourth one has been on there for about 2 years. I floss, okay?
I really don't know how I've gone so long without embracing lists, high-tech or otherwise. Because I get just as much pleasure out of adding new tasks as I do at striking them out. It says, "Look! Your life has meaning even though you're currently underemployed and spend a lot of the day at home! You still have all this stuff to do!"
I have also recently started a task list for the blog posts I want to write. I'm not including that in here because that would be ruining the surprise. Although, I can probably now cross off the one at the top... "Write blog post about task lists." Yup, that one is now done.
Strikethrough.
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