CLARITY x 10

I'm not a music person.  I like songs, and I like bands, and I like dancing, and I like singing along with songs, but I don't track bands.  I'm not the one first to know about a new tour or a new album or a new song.  No.

My point in this is that I don't go to a lot of concerts.  I don't really know the venues around Boston, and I'm not too picky about sound quality.  I'll be happy with songs I know that I can dance to a little.  And some beer.

Last night, I saw Jimmy Eat World's CLARITY x 10 tour at the House of Blues in Boston.

Jimmy Eat World, I loved.  Given that I'm not a music person, M1 told me that they were coming.  Jimmy Eat World was a band that I got into my first year of college (2000.)  My ex-ex-ex-boyfriend introduced me to them, and I fell in love.  Clarity was the album I first heard, and I'd play it over and over.  Upon hearing they were touring, I figured they had a new album, and I should probably check up on them, as I hadn't listed to anything new since Bleed American was released in 2001.  I downloaded their newest album, Chase This Light, and listened to it, picking a favourite song ("Always Be") and being ready to sing along.  Perhaps I should have noticed that Chase This Light was released two years ago, not two months ago; therefore, Jimmy Eat World was probably not promoting their "new" album.  No.  The tour was called "CLARITY x 10" because a) they were playing songs from Clarity and b) it was a ten-stop tour.  (This is clearly stated on their site.  I did not think to check the site till tonight.)  So, to my surprise and delight, the band played a song I knew from college...  And then another...  And then "Lucky Denver Mint."  And then I began to realize there was nothing "new" happening.  I was absolutely thrilled with this, and sang my heart out, probably much to the distress of people around me.  (Whatever, M1 and I were stuck next to annoying make out couple.  Get a room.)

Interesting things from the concert:

1. M1 got a Corona.  In a can.

2. There was a guy with a blue-green mohawk.  He knew EVERY WORD.  To EVERY SONG.  I had never associated Jimmy Eat World with blue-green mohawks.  But I will now.

3. A drunk girl accidentally fell into a guy in front of her.  He accused her of hitting him, and there was almost a fight.  Friends-holding-guys-off-of-each-other almost.

4. Guys tried to start a mosh pit.  Really?  At Jimmy Eat World?

5. I saw at least five people I knew there.  For a city as big as Boston and a venue that size and the fact that I'm not particularly social, that shouldn't have happened.

Great concert.  If you happen to live in Chicago, Denver, San Francisco, LA, San Diego or Tempe, I highly suggest you check them out.

The House of Blues, on the other hand, I was less than impressed with.  M1 assured me that the acoustics were great.  Otherwise, I wasn't incredibly impressed.  I'm not sure what would have impressed me, though.  It was a big room, high ceilings.  There were two levels of balconies on the sides.  On the ground floor, the bars spanned the entire sides of the room.  That's the fine.  The not-so-great?  There was weird religious iconography above the stage.  (Not Jimmy-related.)  There was a coat check, which was great.  However, upon leaving, we waiting in line for probably half an hour to collect our coats.  Annoying.  I guess there's little way around that when everyone leaves at the same time from concerts.  (M1 and I decided, therefore, that we should only go there in warmer weather.)

Long story short: Loved Jimmy Eat World, not impressed by the House of Blues.

Happy Diamond Chair Day!

Today was the day!  I'd like to introduce you to David, the Diamond Chair:

Okay, that's David with my tattoo of David.  Still working on a good picture of David.  Regardless, today was the day that he came home with me.  Yay!

At some point, I'll give more random Bertoia / Diamond Chair trivia...  I'll also introduce you to my other chairs.  But not tonight.

Food!

Tuesday, February 17th

Salad, pierogies, bread...  I shouldn't even write about this, as I didn't really make anything...  I had spinach, pear, craisins, almonds and pecans.  Toss.  I fried pierogies in butter, served them with salsa.  And, I cut up some bread from When Pigs Fly - the potato, onion and something-else bread...

[Small insert.]  I made a chocolate cheesecake Thursday evening - I had promised my pod that I'd bake something, as it had been awhile.  I normally make a chocolate-peanutbutter cheesecake, but a newer podmate of mine doesn't do nuts.  I've had my cheesecake recipe for so long that I'm not entirely sure where it came from.  Hence, here's the recipe:

Crust:

2 c crushed chocolate graham crackers

1/3 c butter, melted

2 T sugar

Filling:

1 c semisweet chocolate chips

3 x 8 ozs. cream cheese, soft

1 c sugar

3 eggs

1/2 c sour cream (I didn't have any, so I used Greek yogurt.)

3 T flour

2 t vanilla extract

1. Mix together Crust ingredients, press into a 9" springform pan.

2. In a double boiler (small pot in big pot...) melt chocolate.

3. Beat cream cheese and sugar.  Blend in eggs.  Gradually pour in melted chocolate.  Add sour cream (yogurt,) flour and vanilla.  Blend till smooth.  Pour into crust.

4. Bake at 350, preferably in a water bath, for 55-60 minutes.  Turn the oven off, leaving the cheesecake inside for an hour.

5. Let cool!  Refrigerate!  Enjoy!  (I like to spread a thin layer of melted hot fudge on top - it tastes good, and it covers any cracks in the cake!)

Friday, February 20th

Salad, French bread pizza.  M1 made us dinner before we headed out to watch a friend-of-a-friend play at a bar.  Salad had tomatoes and croutons and avocado and mushrooms and yellow pepper and...  Am I forgetting anything?

French bread pizzas had basil and mushrooms and... cheese... and I know there was more, but I can't remember!

Add some margaritas, Bud Lights, a cover band and good friends...  Great evening!

Sunday, February 22nd

Bow tie pasta, garlic bread, sour cherry cobbler.  I think that past with pesto sauce and a side of garlic bread has to fit into my favourite simple meals ever.

M3 made bow tie pasta (one of my favourite shapes of pasta ever) with a light pesto sauce, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and feta.  Add thick, buttery, delicious garlic bread.

[Add Oscars.]  Add wine.

There was also "sour" cheery cobbler.  I didn't find it that sour, but it was delicious.  And with fresh whipped cream!  Yum!

Oh, bother!

I love my dog.  He is hilarious and (mostly) well-behaved and a true joy in my life.

But sometimes...

I came home today to find the floor of my apartment covered in diarrhea.  Arg.

As much as I want to complain, though, I know Code didn't mean to be sick in the apartment.  It's truly only when he can't not that accidents happen.  And he always feels so bad, moping around while I'm cleaning up.  He went straight to his crate when I brought him in from our walk...  Really feel bad for the guy.  Fingers crossed he's feeling better.  [He's currently curled up at my feet, looking as angelic as can be.]  Wouldn't give him up for the world!

Plus, there's only so much I can complain, as I treated myself to pizza from the Upper Crust once the clean-up was done...

Dinner and a Movie

So, I know that "dinner and a movie" is a traditional date.  However, it has turned into one of my favourite girl outings.  I'm a huge fan of repeating activities that are enjoyed (something like a routine,) and, well, there's a reason that "dinner and a movie" is so commonplace.

Last night, we switched it up and did a movie, then dinner.  We saw Confessions of a Shopaholic, fully expecting a thoughtless, silly, fun time.  And that's exactly what we got.  Without a doubt, the most hilarious scene was when Rebecca and Luke dance while away on a business trip.  (May make me feel a bit better about my dancing...)  Also, I'm incredibly grateful to have friends that I'm confident would never make me wear a bridesmaid dress like this at their wedding:

Yes, that is a huge butt bow.  And multi-coloured tulle.  Ack.

After the movie, we went our standard movie restaurant - Cambridge, 1.  If you haven't been there and you live in the Boston area, I highly suggest you make it over there.  They make these amazing thin crust pizzas with unique toppings.  My favourite is the potato, fontina, parmigiano (etc.) pizza - who knew potato (sliced and mashed) would work so well on pizza???  They also have these great breadsticks; you do have to request these, though.  And, of course, dip everything in the chili oil with pepper!  (And add a bottle of wine...)

All in all, a great evening.  Boston folk, get to Cambridge, 1.  Non-Boston folk, see the movie if you're in the mood for silly.

Stroller Saturday #7

Given that I haven't gone to bed yet, I'm going to pretend that it's still Saturday...  And the stroller du jour is...

The Joovy Caboose

Basic Stats: Tandem stroller.  Includes universal car seat adapter (works with all the usual suspects.)  Front seat has 2-position recline.  Back area has seat or standing platform for an older child.  Suitable from 6 months; suitable from birth with use of a car seat.  Available in four colours.  Weighs 26 lbs.  Both front and back seat will carry up to 45 lbs.

Who Drives These:  Smart parents of children with a couple of years between them.

What I Think:  If I had to drive a double stroller, I'd want a tandem.  I just can't imagine driving a double-wide around...  And I know I get slightly annoyed trying to get out of the way of them.  This stroller is a brilliant idea, especially if you've got a slightly older child who may or may not want to sit in a stroller all the time - they can easily hop on and off of the rear platform.

Overall Verdict: At only $179.95, the Joovy Caboose is amongst the least expensive doubles strollers you'll find.  And, with its unique design, you'll be easily toting around the kids!  Granted, it's not ideal for two kids of the same age, but most families end up with, well, at least nine months between kids...  It's not the fanciest of strollers, but the high end stroller companies seem to focus on single strollers, so if it's a double you need, you may have to lower your aspirations slightly...  In the end, I'm a huge fan of this stroller.  I don't see myself needing a stroller, not to mention a double stroller, for years to come, but if I needed one now, this would be high in the running!

Snowboarding: A Relative Success

I'll start one year ago.  My company had a sponsored ski trip up to Sugarloaf in Maine.  M3 and I decide to give snowboarding a shot.  She's snowboarded a few times before, but not regularly enough that she's really that comfortable with it.  I had tired once before, in college, and spent most of the time on my butt or knees and frustrated.  (The then-boyfriend knew what he was doing and possibly could have been a little more patient.)  In the end, I was stubborn - I know the theory behind snowboarding, so it's just a case of getting my body to follow.  Saturday morning, we wake up, get ready, get some breakfast, get our gear...  And hit the slopes!  ... For approximately five seconds.  Not even exaggerating.  I fell badly.  My back was killing me; I lay face-down in the snow till I could bear to move, at which point M3 helped me back to the lodge, then back to our condo, where I barely moved from the couch for the rest of the day.  Two days later, I went to a trade show in NYC for Monday and Tuesday (read: was on my feet all day.)  When I returned to Boston, I was still in a lot of pain and decided possibly it may be a good idea to see a doctor.  Verdict: Compression fracture.  Which made me feel much more justified in all the complaining that I was doing!

Needless to say, the idea of repeating this made me a little nervous.

But, back to Sugarloaf we went.  I had declared ahead of time that I was not going anywhere Friday night - I was already nervous enough, I wasn't going to risk being hungover at all.  Luckily, much of my condo was on the same page.  We made dinner, had some drinks, played some Apples to Apples...  And I was in bed pre-midnight.

Saturday was the big day.  The conditions were pretty miserable - icy and windy - but it was our one chance.  And, it wasn't a complete failure at all.  I thought for awhile that M3 was going to leave me because I took SO LONG to get moving.  (Sorry, but there were tons of people where we were trying to get going and then there were loads of children in ski school.  Loads of children who were way better than me.  Whatever.)  In the end, though, made it up, made it back and forth and made it down the mountain.  (By "mountain," I mean "slight decline.")  We did the same slope a few more times (which took quite awhile,) and then decided to grab some lunch.

Note: If you're ever at Sugarloaf, I'd highly suggest Black Diamond Burrito.  It's a tiny place, no tables, just a bar, but absolutely delicious.

After lunch and a quick chat with M1 and Cousin, it was back to the slopes.  M3 and I grabbed our boards, walked to a lift, strapped our left feet in, took the lift up, fell off the lift (I never made it off a lift without falling) and sat down to strap righty in...  And my right binding it shot.  I debate for awhile whether I could make it down with half the binding (just one of the straps was broken,) but then remembered how very bad I was and figured that wouldn't be a good idea.  My option for getting down the mountain?  Snow patrol stretcher:

Totally embarrassing.  Even more ridiculous?  When I got a new binding, it was broken, too!  Finally, on binding number three, we were up and running again.  For one more run.  We both had uncomfortable falls on that run, and my knees were already quite swollen, and we decided to call it a day.

Saturday evening brought nothing interesting.  Other than two of my coworkers coming up to me and yelling, "Did I see you being carted down the mountain on a stretcher???"

Sunday brought outlet shopping, which was fine - not the best, but I found a few things I liked.  Including a silver wristlet from Coach.  Frankly, it's rare that I go into a Coach outlet and don't buy something.  Lack of willpower...

I made it home with lots of aches and bruises...  But all bones were in tact, making the weekend a huge success as compared to last year!

A Week in Food

So...  There was less cooking this week, but no less great food!

Monday, February 9th

Happy Birthday, E!  Another friend turns three-cubed!  We gathered at E's place in Somerville, had fried food (reminiscent of Super Bowl Sunday) and ordered sushi from Hana Sushi.  Due to my vegetarianism, sushi's often a bit on the boring side for me.  BUT, there's edamame, which I love.  And, Hana Sushi has this "New York" roll, which is apple, avocado and salmon - minus the salmon - delicious!  Apple in sushi was a fabulous idea.

I also made a cake - a very raspberry cake!  Serious raspberry.  (I made it in two 8" round pans.  I used two 12 oz. bags of unsweetened raspberries, mixing in a bit of sugar to sweeten them up.)  Unfortunately, I totally forgot my camera, so no pictures...  Yet!

Tuesday, February 10th

Stuffed French Toast, Hash Browns.  So, M1 and M2 were busy, so it was just me and M3.  I was going to unadventurous and make pasta...  But then I got French toast in my head.  And breakfast grew from there.  I found a recipe for stuffed French toast.  I used bananas and strawberries, and for the topping, I used vanilla oatmeal stuff, brown sugar and flour.  (I happened to have vanilla oatmeal, rather than just oats.)  Also, the best thing that's ever happened to French toast - challah bread!  SO GOOD.

This seemed all sweet, so I decided to add potatoes into the mix.  Dice potatoes, coat in olive oil, paprika, red pepper, salt, black pepper.  Bake at 400 for about 20-30 minutes.  Spicy hash browns!

And...  Mimosas.  Champagne is healthier with orange juice in it, right?

Thursday, February 12th

wagamama.  wagamama originated in England, and opened their first US location in Boston a couple of years ago.  They are opening another location in the mall where my office is located; it's officially open to the public on Monday, but they had a special preview event.  I signed up, and M3 and I got a free appetizer, meal and two drinks apiece!  I had edamame (again) and some spicy tofu-noodle dish.  And some wine.  Yum!

wagamama is a bit of an odd place.  The food is great, and I think it's a great place for large groups.  However, the seating arrangement could be a little awkward.  They have these really long tables, and they seat groups of people altogether...  So, it's just not very private.  (Luckily, M3 and I were placed next to a guy that we work with and get along with and his girlfriend.)  But, good food!

And that's the food for now.  I'm heading off to Maine for snowboarding (fingers crossed) tomorrow for the weekend, so I'll be skipping Stroller Saturday.  And, hopefully, making it home unscathed, unlike last year!

A Letter

Dear Dog Walkers of the South End,

I have a dog.  I walk him at least three times a day.  And, when he poops, I bag it and throw it away.  In the trash can.

I'd really appreciate it if you would all follow suit.  Especially if / when it gets warmer.  Sure, it won't smell as bad in the freezing cold, but what happens when all the ice and snow melt?  Exactly...

On one of my much-traversed blocks in the South End, I recently counted no less than nineteen piles.  NINETEEN.  That is not okay!  (Note: I do not normally count piles of dog poop, but I had walked up and down this block several times and noticed all the mess.  So, I decided to see what kind of number we were talking...  "A lot" just wasn't going to get the point across.)

So, I know it's not fun, but just do it.  Pick up the poop.  Throw it away.  Go home and wash your hands.

Love,

Jennifer

Stroller Saturday #6

Quick note.  I'm watching the Grammy's.  What is Carrie Underwood wearing?  Me and my lack of wardrobe stylists have an excuse for not looking great, but...  Okay, onto strollers.  One stroller, to be specific...

The UPPAbaby G-LiTE

Basic Stats: [Not much to say here.  Umbrella stroller.]  Suitable from 6 months.  Available in four colours.  Weighs 8.3 lbs., and will carry up to 40 lbs.

Who Drives These:  Parents of toddlers.  Those who probably have to do a lot of folding and unfolding of their stroller!  Those who have done a bit more research about what umbrella stroller to get - not because this stroller is better than others, but it's less common.  I've seen the UPPAbaby Vista in the wild on many occasions, but not the G-LiTE.

What I Think:  I'm partial to the Maclaren Volo when we're talking extremely lightweight umbrella strollers, but this is a good alternative.  (Something cool - the G-LiTE can stand upright when folded.)

Overall Verdict:  UPPAbaby's a relatively new company, but I'm not sure that they have that many new ideas.  The G-LiTE looks strikingly similar to the Maclaren Volo, and the Vista is a dead ringer for the Bugaboo Cameleon.  Retailing at $129.99, the price on the G-LiTE isn't astoundingly low, either.  I can't help but be excited to see what UPPAbaby comes out with next, though I'm underwhelmed by their current offering.  That being said, the comparison to the Volo should be taken as a compliment - the Volo is a great umbrella stroller!

It's Saturday, ACK.

Apparently I'm going to miss another Stroller Saturday, as Saturday is almost over, and I have not thought about it.  There's been some correlation between me leaving my apartment pre-noon on Saturdays and not getting to the blog.

Tomorrow!  We'll pretend I'm prolonging Saturday (???)

The Week in Food

While it was generally an uneventful week, there was FOOD.  Which makes anything and everything better.

Sunday, February 1st

Happy Super Bowl!  Or, as I like to call it, "FRIED Day."  S and I are fans of fried food.  We have been known to eat plates of it for dinner (and then regret it a little later.  But it just tasted so good!)  The Super Bowl is a wonderful excuse to eat fried.

On a Target excursion the day before, I may have talked S into buying a Fry Daddy.  What can I say?  We ended up in the kitchen appliances aisles and happened upon deep friers.  After S declared that she couldn't spend $40 on one, we turned to leave.  And then I saw it.  "S, this one's only $25..."  And the rest is history.

We fried zucchini, we fried mozzarella, mushrooms and asparagus, we fried sweet potatoes, and we made hush puppies and carb wontons.  And by "we," I mostly mean S.  There was also guacamole and 7-layer dip and raspberry pinwheel cookies and chocolate chip cookies.  It was all wonderful!

And, I'll be honest, I didn't really care who won.  I had to be rooting for the underdog, but it really didn't affect my life either way.

Tuesday, February 3rd

An early Thanksgiving!  Roasted Vegetables, Sweet Potato Casserole.  The thought process going into this was simple.  M3 has been away (in Mexico, insert jealousy here,) and many of her "No" foods are very much "YES" foods for me.  So, while she was gone, I wanted to do a meal packed with things she wouldn't want to eat.

My first thought was sweet potatoes.  (Who doesn't like sweet potatoes?  M3, that's who!)  During Thanksgiving last year, I made this lovely ("yummy") sweet potato casserole.  From there, more Thanksgiving-y thing: roasted vegetables.  I roasted potatoes (white and sweet,) parsnips, Brussels sprouts, carrots and asparagus.

I'm a huge fan of all these vegetables.  Growing up, my parents made steamed Brussels sprouts, which are probably healthier.  But roasted ones are surprisingly delicious.  A friend, J, joined us for dinner.  He declared Brussels sprouts on his very short "No" list, but agreed to try one...  And then he loved them!  (Or, at least, he said he did.  I thought they were wonderful, so I'll assume he wasn't just humouring me!)

Thursday, February 5th

Salad, Pesto Gnocchi, Garlic Bread.  Finally, I got a picture of M1's food!

There were many (good) interesting things about this meal.  Well, mainly having to do with the salad.  First of all, I tried turnips, which I really can't remember having before.  They're lovely little vegetables - nice and crispy!  (Also making an appearance in the salad: mushrooms, tomatoes and lettuce.  Turnips were the celebrities, though.)  The second interesting thing was the dressing - we made it ourselves!  M1 was worried about the dressings she had in her fridge, and I'm pretty picky about salad dressing...  But she had olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and garlic - Abracadabra!  Dressing!

The pasta and garlic bread were great, too.  M1 bought this pre-made garlic bread, one that you stick in the oven.  But, there was real diced garlic on it and tons of butter.  And it was delicious.

(M3!  Note the plates!)

All this talking about these has got me thinking about this coming week...  I have no thoughts yet on what I'll make.  Suggestions?  (Kelly???)

My Less-Than-Motivated Week

'Twas a bit of an odd week.  It certainly doesn't help when there seems to be no hot water in my building at the time that I shower every morning.  Seriously, it's strange.  I get into the shower between 6:45 and 7:00 every morning...  There's a bit of warmish water...  And then it's gone a minute later.  I'm going to work on a test.  One of my roommates showered around 6:30 this morning, and she said there was hot water then.  (I am usually the first to shower, so it's not a case of my roommates using all the hot water or something.)  So, going to see if I can get my tired self out of bed just fifteen to twenty minutes earlier than usual.  We shall see.

ALSO.  I went to the dentist this morning.  For the first time in at least three years.  (Whoops.)  I just hated going so much back in Richmond that I was just terrified to make an appointment.  Finally did though.  I'm not going to say that I enjoyed it, but it was a million times better than back in Richmond.  Dr. Davis brings his dog to work everyday; he's this adorable, old pup that just lies there and looks friendly.  The equipment is high-tech, and Dr. Davis didn't make me feel too bad about not having gone to the dentist in quite awhile.

We had yet another interesting discussion at work today.  One of my podmates sent out an email about this kid who got a fork stuff up his nose.  I'll refrain from posting pictures, as they're a little gross, but please click here to see the article.  Somehow this turned into a "Would you rather..."  Would you rather have a fork stuck up your nose OR break your arm?  I voted strongly for the broken bone (it's happened thrice before, what's once more?) but, for reasons I still cannot fathom, there was a strong argument for the fork.  No, thank you!

Stroller Saturday #5

Okay, okay, it's Sunday.  Yesterday was busy in the morning, and then I was unmotivated by the evening to do this.

Which was a bit of a shame as I'm wicked excited about this stroller...

The Stokke Xplory

I'm so excited about this one because Stokke recently added a new colour to the Xplory line-up: Yellow!  There are just so few yellow strollers out there.  I can understand why - manufacturers are only going to make the colours that are going to sell, and you just don't see demand for yellow strollers like you do for pink, blue or red ones.  However, I get excited over unique!

Basic Stats: Includes chassis, seat, (bassinet in the Complete version,) seat insert (for smaller children,) rain cover, mosquito net and shopping bag.  Seat / bassinet height is adjustable.  Adjustable footrest.  Adjustable handle height.  Reversible seat; two-position recline facing the world, three-position recline facing the pusher.  Solid rubber tires.  Compatible with Graco SnugRide, Peg Primo Vaiggio and Maxi-Cosi Mico with the purchase of an adapter.    Lots of matching accessories available.  Suitable from birth.  Available in seven colours (now!)  Weighs 23 lbs., and will carry up to 45 lbs.

Who Drives These: Fancy parents!  The Xplory is always sure to turn heads.  These are growing in popularity, but are still relatively rare in the wild.  They're also amongst the most expensive strollers out there - the Basic version runs $999.99, and the Complete version, which includes the bassinet / carry cot, will cost you $1,199.99.  People who drive Xplorys love them, though.  I've talked to a few people about them, and they love to talk about the stroller and all its features.

What I Think: I really like the Xplory.  Stokke is an interesting company - they have focused mostly on furniture but are really working to expand the reach of their stroller.  I love the colours this is available in, and, of course, I'm a huge fan of the unique look of the stroller.  The price is a bit shocking, but the Basic version is only $100 more than the Cameleon, which so many people do already have.

Overall Verdict: The height of the Xplory is its stand-out attribute, and I think it's a good one.  There are many pictures of the stroller being just rolled up to a table, rather than needing a separate high chair.  The only downsides that I can really come up with are a) the price (whoa,) and b) the shopping basket - I just can't imagine how that bag can hold that much stuff.  (Apparently, I plan on carrying a lot when I have a kid to stroll around.)  Overall, though, very cool, distinctive stroller!

Thanks to Stokke for taking a chance on Yellow!  Along with the Yellow Xplory, Stokke recently introduced a new accessory set for the Xplory - the Moods Accessory Kit.  These include a canopy, parasol, diaper wallet and bottle bag and add a bit of pizzazz to an Xplory.  Available in a couple of colour combinations, this cute new kit give you some options to make your Xplory stand out in a crowd...  As if the Xplory needs that!