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I have a little bit of downtime, so I thought I'd let you all in on the exciting things of the last week or so.
Monday I went over to Rosanne's, where we had nachos for dinner and apple pie with ice cream for dessert. We had a nice conversation about many things, including work and family. It's nice to feel like I've made another friend, who I can hang out with for more than just poker games.
Last Tuesday I went to The Blue Grotto in Providence with Kathy. First of all, I can finally check Rhode Island off as a state I've visited - I'd previously driven through there and flown out of the airport, but had yet to actually do anything in Rhode Island (even though I've meant to, whether it's hit the beaches or visit some of Providence's craft stores). The Blue Grotto was amazing - not so much to look at outside, but very elegant inside. It was Restaurant Week in Providence, so both Kathy and I of course ordered off the prix fixe menu - I had a salad with basil, oranges, tomatoes and balsamic vinaigrette - very simple and tasty - as well as Osso Buco and Chocolate Tiramisu. I'd never had Osso Buco before - braised veal shank with stewed vegetables and some sort of orange dressing with this one as well as a side of mashed potatoes - and I wonder where it's been all my life. I forget how much I love stew - this winter I'm definitely going to try making it. I was stuffed by the time dessert rolled around, and was only able to eat about a third of the oh so delicious and rich Tiramisu - tragically I had to take the rest home with me and eat it the next day. :-) I'd definitely love to eat there again, or try any number of restaurants on Federal Hill, which is a very cute (albiet maybe mob-infested) part of Providence.
There was a lot of lightening on the way back to Kathy's and then on my way home, but I was apparently incredibly lucky with the whole trip and made it back without much rain or other incidents.
Wednesday was poker, and I came in second. Once again, I went in vowing to drink less, like I do every week, and once again failed. Ahh well. :-)
Thursday was the first bit of relaxation I had all week, and late into the evening Ryan and Cat arrived. I didn't get to spend that much time with them, because we did all need to sleep, but the short visit was very nice, and they brought me wine. :-)
Friday ended up being somewhat of a mess - there were bad storms while I was at work, and when I drove through my part of Somerville and a little of Medford in search of food, there were trees and branches down all over the place! I wish I'd taken pictures, because it was awful - I don't think I've seen that much damage in a long while, and I'm glad that it was at least limited to the trees (there was one tree blocking an entire street with a car very close to it - the tree either JUST MISSED the car or the car pulled up to the tree, not sure which). A lot of roads were blocked, and it took a long time just to get the half a mile home from this sandwich place. I actually finally gave up on getting to my street and parked my car a few blocks away. After that adventure, I was in no mood to do anything that night, though I feel bad about turning down invitations from both Patrick and Susan.
Saturday I headed to Connecticut for a party thrown by Dana and her friend Kelly. Kelly's house is HUGE - I'm talking, with tennis court and pool (complete with hot tub), set back from the street, 4-car garage, exquisitely decorated. The party was fun, though would have been nicer if the weather had cooperated. Chris and Rob were both there, which was nice - all of Dana's high school friends seem really nice. I stayed at Kelly's Saturday night - I was given a guest bedroom with the most comfy sheets and pillows (good thing, since I forgot my pillow for the first time in a very long time), and it even had its own bathroom and television (not that I watched it) - I felt like I was staying in a hotel! Sunday we went over to Dana's parents' house for a little bit, and then I headed to New Haven, where I met up with Corinne, Demetri and Kerry for a nice pizza lunch. I was happy to see Demetri and Kerry, and I will get to see them again this weekend. Corinne and I then headed back to Boston.
This week has started off much quieter, which means more knitting, and I'm thankful for the downtime. Busy is fun, but sometimes I need time to collect myself and recharge. I'm looking forward to taking time off of work in August for some added relaxation - maybe some beach time? We'll see.
- Lizzardie, at 12:57 PM
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