I watched the first episode of Glee and absolutely adored it. It was like some sort of mash-up flashback to my years of MTM (Musical Theatre Machine), college and law school a cappella groups, stage band, musicals, the Law Revue show, and ACMAP (a.k.a. band camp) all rolled into one, except with a much healthier dose of angst than anything I ever experienced in reality. Or at least if there was angst, or if we were being called losers behind our backs in high school, I was too blissfully oblivious to notice. I spent so much time in my high school auditorium that when they remodeled it, I took a piece of the stage home (I wasn't the only one, for the record). It still sitting in a closet up in Maine to this day (I hope). I look back at all of those experiences with sheer, well, glee, and find that singing and theatre is the one thing that I don't have time for anymore that I truly, truly miss with all of my heart. Yes, I'm a dork, but proud of it as all hell.
Author: Laren
-
Dear Internet
Dear Internet,
I'm hoping you can help me. I did something stupid. I was trying to be helpful — really, I was. We had a large group hoping to eat at Momofuku Ssam Bar this week so I jumped online and made a reservation for the bo ssam. I was thrilled to see the green checkmarks and grabbed a 6:30 reservation for our group of 8. Thrilled, that is, until much later last night (after the 24 hour cancellation cutoff) when I realized that I had made the reservation for Wednesday instead of Thursday, once again proving that three years of law school does not make you smart.
Can you help me find someone with a group of friends who wants to gorge on some pork-o-licious bo ssam TONIGHT at 6:30? If so, please email me. Who can resist this? Thanks much.
Love, Laren
PS — UPDATE: Am now just looking for dining companions — keeping the reservation! Let me know! xoxo
-
Mismatched
I ran into an ex yesterday morning on the subway. This, of course, meant that I was still slightly foggy, and he had to call my name a few times before I heard him, but we had a nice little chat. Also turns out I had bumped into a good friend of his a few weeks back (thanks, Twitter!). As pleasant as our chat was (and as much as I suddenly realized he looks a bit like Chris O'Donnell, whose face seems to be plastered all over busses lately), it was still crystal clear that we are not meant to be — he was mentioning how his new apartment was right across from the bike path, which made his early morning rides so much easier, and I was reading a book about cheese. Not much has changed.
-
Another Thing of Beauty
The oyster sampler platter at Aquagrill. Not a bad way to start a Sunday. (Here's a prior thing of beauty.)
-
The Loss of a Neighbor
(one last Mission Bell for the road)
Before you start to panic, nobody died or anything. That said, my neighborhood did suffer a great loss last week. Elettaria opened about a year and a half ago, a rather upscale restaurant for a block filled primarily with shoe stores and rapidly changing storefronts on 8th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues. It turned out to be one of my favorite places, with tasty and inventive food, a welcoming atmosphere, friendly staff, and excellent cocktails. I took my family there, I'd stop in for their fantastic happy hour, enjoyed their brief-lived brunch, and even organized a tweetup there on their tiki night. Then suddenly, just as I was about to write a column about them for Serious Eats, they announced that they would be closing. I wish everyone who worked there the best of luck in whatever comes next for them, and thank them all for creating such a wonderful place. It will be missed.
-
I am a Junkie
My internet was down for less than 24 hours and I was having the twitchy fits. Apparently I have a problem. Seems to be back up for the time being. I don't mind being offline when I plan to be — it's just when I don't plan it and I am cut off suddenly that I start jonesing. I could have worse addictions, I suppose.
-
Deep Dark Secret of the Day
When people put their stuff in a locker at the gym without putting a lock on it, I secretly want to either steal something from them or throw their crap all over the floor, just to teach them a lesson. I can't even express the willpower it takes to stop myself from doing this. Does this make me evil?
-
The Things I Haul
In today's haul:
– gym clothes, makeup
– shakerato in travel mug
– blackberry, cell phone, camera, mini tripod
– wallet, moleskine, business cards
– egg whites w/cremini mushrooms and extra sharp cheddar and a squirt of sriracha for breakfast
– mixed green salad for lunch
– copy of Liz Thorpe's The Cheese Chronicles, for a future Serious Eats column
– This week's New Yorker
This is why I have a permanent knot in my right shoulder.
-
Writing on the Wall
Or, more accurately, writing on paper. I realized this morning that in this day and age, you can date someone for a decent amount of time and never (or at least rarely) really have the opportunity to see their handwriting. When so much correspondence is done via email, the art of the handwritten note gets lost, and the personality of a person's handwriting doesn't have the chance to shine through.
I love handwritten notes, and keep those that are meaningful to me — there are certain people in my life whose handwriting I could identify in an instant. Sadly, my handwriting has deteriorated so much over the past decade or so that it is practically illegible. My apologies in advance to anyone who is fortunate or unfortunate enough to have to decipher it.
-
My New Morning Ritual
The daily shakerato. PIctures are weird because I took them before actually drinking any coffee.