That I still had trouble hauling myself out of bed when I went to bed before 11?!? I’m going to chalk it up to the dreary day . . .
Author: Laren
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The Kiwis Did Me In
I really do think I’m still recovering from Dan and Melissa’s wedding, which was one of the most fun I have been to in a while. The fun, lively, and lighthearted attitude started during the ceremony, where the priest laughingly stopped us all from butchering a hymn (we all started at different times) and made us start over so we’d sound better. We were then all bussed over to the reception, held under the biggest wedding tent I had ever seen. Melissa and Dan are in the wine business, among other things, and are lovers of food and wine, so I knew everything would be top-notch and delicious, which it was. Dan is from New Zealand, so many of the guests were as well — let me tell you, the Kiwis like to party. One of the most fantastic parts of the evening was when all the Kiwi men got together to do the Haka — a traditional Maori war dance. Several dozen relatively good natured looking guys in suits suddenly got seriously fierce. When I left at about 1, people were starting to strip down to their skivvies and jump in the pool (for the record, I was not one of those people). Dan and Melissa looked so happy — thanks to both of you for inviting me to celebrate with you, and congratulations! Enjoy Italy!
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Yummy Link Love
Adam over at Serious Eats linked over to one of my Umbria photos as a picture of the day — I was obsessed with that bowl in our kitchen — probably took about 8 shots of it!
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A Glimpse of Umbria
Well, I had high hopes for a trip summary by now, but no such luck, I’m afraid. Instead of making you wait to see the pictures until the summary is ready, they’re up now, with captions in case you’d like to know what you’re seeing. Full report to come at some point this weekend. You can find the pictures here.
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Crankypants
I’ve been a bit cranky since I returned from Umbria (settling back into real life ain’t fun). My mood took a turn for the better this morning when I put on a pair of pants I haven’t worn since last fall to find that, despite stuffing my face with pasta and cured meats and washing it down with wine all last week, they were pleasantly loose — far more so than they were at this time last year. Guess all that time at the gym is doing something after all!
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The Little Things
Things I miss about Italy now that I’m back:
– proper coffee
– the big wooden dining table and the fireplace in our villa
– waking up to see a view of the Italian countryside out of the bedroom window
– constant company
– seeing and experiencing new things every dayThings I missed while I was away:
– solitude
– the ability to get places independently
– non-Italian food
– friends and family who weren’t with me
– my bed, which I am convinced is the most comfortable bed ever (the bed from which I am writing this post, as a matter of fact)Yep, that’s me — the walking dichotomy. And now, back to work. And fall.
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Back to Reality, I’m Afraid
Made it home safe and sound last night. Still a little off kilter due to jetlag and a week of general overindulgence, but I should be relatively back in gear by tomorrow. Many, many more pictures to come, but for now, just a shot of something I’ll be avoiding for at least the near future (although this dish, prepared by John and Matt in our Umbrian villa, was quite tasty). Hi to the gang — hope you all made it back to your respective homes without incident and thanks again for an outstanding week in the Italian countryside.
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Italia!
Off to work and then to Umbria for a week. I’ll be offline, most likely, so will be sure to unplug and relax with great friends, food and wine while exploring the countryside. Ciao!
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Too Early
Heading to the office early to finish prep for my 9:30 Pro Bono Committee meeting (followed immediately by yet another meeting). Seriously — I am no good at this hour. Plus, I’m still reeling from the amazing dinner I had last night with the Epicurious folks at Del Posto. I’m hoping a little extra coffee will help me make it through the day and safely back home tonight to get to laundry and packing.
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Friday on My Mind
Courtesy of the genius that is the Onion:
Tuesday’s arrival stunned a nation still recovering from the nightmarish slog that was Monday, leaving some to wonder if the week was ever going to end, and others to ask what was taking Saturday so goddamn long.
"Ugh," said Wagner, echoing a national sense of frustration over it not even being Wednesday at the very least.
According to suddenly depressed sources, the feeling that this week may in fact last forever was further compounded by the thought of all the work left to be done tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and, if Americans make it that far, possibly even Friday, for Christ’s sake.
Fears that the week could actually be going backwards were also expressed.