Comforts

Today was okay at work. All things considered, today was okay at work. I'm a little confused about a couple of things I've been assigned, but working through them might yield learning. Plus, today was Monday and again, all things considered, it was an okay day.*Now I'm home, having just cleaned the kitchen after a really successful round of spinach manicotti (I'm getting better all the time at seasoning things on my own, ignoring instructions and using instinct) and some finely steamed asparagus spears with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, garlic powder, seasoned pepper and seasoned sea salt (the latter compliments of my wonderful friend Bonnie who gave me the Penzeys sea salt back in St. Louis, and I've used it sparingly since, so as not to run out of it!) I'm not sure how much I detailed our 4th of July in Spanish Harlem, but Craig and I spent the Fourth this year with Lauren, Jeff, Amanda and many other friends, grilling on the rooftop, indulging in Craig's family recipe cheeseburger (which anyone who has had it so far in New York claims is the best burger they've ever, ever had - rings true) and otherwise satisfying our stomachs with the Lauren-seasoned asparagus as grilled by Craig on the roof. As if I didn't get enough pleasure out of the half (thanks, Lauren!) of Craig-Burger I ate (she and I split one), the asparagus stalks I ate numbered plenty. They were coated in Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and perfectly seasoned by Lauren, then perfectly grilled by Craig - party attendees were ecstatic with the result of what Lauren and Craig produced! It was so great! Then of course there were all of the other delights of a good Fourth party, including strawberries, blueberries, Trader Joe salsa-flavored whole grain chips, a flag-shaped sugar cookie designed by Lauren, drinks, vanilla cigars compliments of Jeff, lemon-dill hummus that I made which the vegetarians loved, and all the good conversationing that takes place at any one of Lauren and Jeff and Amanda's hearty parties.*The main reason I traveled down such a digression was to mention Lauren's asparagus, which I tried to recreate tonight, with somewhat success, although I must say, nothing beats a grilled asparagus stalk.*We were going to watch Little Children tonight but the Homerun Derby is on (San Francisco) and Craig had a really exhausting day at work so I think we're going to take it easy, go to bed early. I came home from work and worked out for about 45 minutes, which is as much as this crabby old body can take right now, as out of shape as I am. Then I made the manicotti, we ate, I cleaned up, and I decided to stop in to blog to mention once again just how at home I feel here in New York. The above photograph was shot from the Empire State Building in April when I turned 30 and my parents were here. Craig and I went up in the Empire State Building when we first visited New York together, circa 2002. It was, in fact, the very first thing we did. The low corner of the picture contains the Flat Iron Building, a longtime favorite of Craig's. We have since changed our preferential highrise view to Top of Rockefeller Center, from which we can see the Empire State Building but not the Flat Iron Building, but the view above will always, always comfort my heart. I will never forget any of the initial New York weekends Craig and I would spend here - the quick thump of my heart as I watched New Yorkers hurry past with someplace to be, with other tourists looking as worried as us, the heavy longing with which I stared at anyone who lived here, and now, here I am living in the very City I always imagined to be the most central pulse of the universe - and it is. It never fails to be just that.*So what, then, if some days life seems to be filled with trivial details of trivial people with trivial desires - so what does any of that matter, then, if a person can live in a place that so much feels like home. Feeling like you're home should be the most important thing. And here I am, experiencing just that.*