(Until we resume our regularly scheduled programming around here.) It’s 9pm, and I have an early date with my pillow. It’s going to be epic.
But wait! I won’t leave you empty handed – here’s something related to tide you over: one great gem from the New York Times archives. Not to be read if you are squeamish. There’s more on the topic (hint… gefilte fish and tapeworm) here. Science!
I’m quite fond of lazy Saturdays – but rarely do they actually happen. Too often we’re working, or have errands, or have commitments that take precedent over quality lounging time. Today was different. Slower. We woke up reluctantly and watched “Shut Up and Play The Hits” – a superb documentary about the final concert of LCD Soundsystem. It’s one of the better films I’ve watched in a while – beautifully shot and paced, and made even better by the breakout performance of James Murphy’s shockingly adorable Frenchie Petunia. It’s on Netflix streaming, and I highly recommend it.
After the film we brunched. Rox in Newtonville is always a good bet – they make eggs how I like them, breakfast is inexpensive, but many of their ingredients are locally sourced. My only complaint is that the coffee, which is perfectly serviceable, isn’t nearly as good at George Howell down the street. But I haven’t figured out a way to smuggle it in without being rude about it. I wish B.Y.O.C was acceptable around these parts.
In the afternoon we headed to You-Do-It Electronic Center, where we browsed the aisles of tubes, capacitors, dremels, led strings, and wires. If you have any inclination to build something interesting, this is probably the place to start.
Then, Newbury Comics, where new records were acquired, and New England Mobile Book Fair, where I spotted my friend Stephanie’s new stunning book Melt on the shelves (I’ve been cooking out of it all week), and uncharacteristically left empty handed. I wanted no less than ten cookbooks, and couldn’t choose one, so in exasperation I gave up. This happens occasionally, and is better for my wallet.
By the time we left the bookstore it was dark – I’m trying to get used to the fact that my daylight is being robbed. We made a quick trip to Target, where I made an impulse purchase of a running hat and gloves for tomorrow’s race, and then picked up some Northern Thai food for dinner before tucking in in front of the television to catch up with this season of Luther.
Tomorrow, I’ll be picking up the pace. For 13.1.
Sit down with me a second over this steaming mug of coffee. We have important things to discuss.
When I started this site, way back when, it seemed like such a big upgrade over my years of LiveJournal. I was going to write about food. Finally, I had a purpose!
LiveJournal was emotional and snarky, and one large inside joke. It ranged from inane “I keep forgetting to get my vaccination”, to angry rants, to moody song lyrics – apparently I felt the need to post Panic at the Disco lyrics. (It was a moment.) There were lists of classes I was taking, scribbled notes from trips to New York. There was food, too. Beets with butter and pistachios at Lupa! Quick recipes from my dorm kitchen, meals out with friends.
There were stories – weird, rambling ones.
“And, the guy who came in at 11:30 pm with a hat on and sunglasses, asked for a shot of rum, and then asked to pay with a cashiers check, then after he couldn’t pulled out a thick wad of cash. Mind you, after it was pouring and we couldn’t get a cab and we had one umbrella and there was a party on the subway (with tequila shots, a drunk dressed up Irish woman, a PDA drunk couple, etc….)I think that [memory] might actually be a combination of a few of the T rides that weekend, oh including the serenading poet man.”
I stumble across weirdos. Often.
Posts were most often uploaded at 1:36 a.m.
And there were hundreds of posts – 400? Maybe more?
Here I was with this quirky public offering that people could read – strangers even. My friends read my LiveJournal, my mother did not. It wasn’t good, but it was free flowing. It wasn’t edited. Nobody cared, so neither did I – sometimes it was messy, but often I’m surprised at my own observations. Sometimes I captured things perfectly – and that’s awfully special.
So, back to this space. It always feels a little ridiculous writing about the blog. After transitioning from free form to “blogging with a purpose”, I started to stagnate. I got boring. I got bored. It took me years to figure out that food blogging didn’t have to be a “quick few paragraphs + recipe”. I could write about food, I could write about a run, or a friend’s new business, or the novel I was reading. I could write about whatever I wanted.
Now forgive me for the following analogy. No seriously, please, please forgive me. If you’ve ever watched The Biggest Loser, there’s a week midway through the season that every contestant looks forward to – makeover week. They’ve lost the weight, and now they get the look to match. That’s kind of how I feel about this blog. I’ve finally made it a place I love to be, but the look, well, it’s a little shabby. It could use a bit of a facelift. So I’m going to start thinking about it. A header. Cleaner. Streamlined. And soon, I’m going to grab hold of this newness, and have it match the way I feel inside. And I think it’s going to be a lot better for all of us. Stay tuned.
