Whims

We've celebrated a great weekend with great gusto. Friday night we came home and napped, then headed out for a Friday night "date" night, something we haven't done in some time. We took a cab down to St. Mark's and 2nd Avenue and wandered in search of food, and landed in a Mediterranean cafe where we ate delicious cous cous-stuffed calamari and entrees consisting of spicy chicken and goat cheese butternut squash ravioli (so delicious!) We even got to sit outside in their cozy little sidewalk patio area! Then we hit a couple of bars, including a quaint little place called The Blue Owl, where we used one of our City Shuffle cards, and finally we traveled back home to Biddy's for a night cap. At Biddy's, we both became overwhelmingly tired so we bailed, leaving Craig's debit card in the capable hands of the Biddy's staff! Saturday morning, we rose with eager plans to travel to Brooklyn with my Nikon and its shiny new tres expensif 18-200mm Vibration Reduction lens. Scary! Scary owning something that pricey and precious. Anyway, the plans had been to head to Brooklyn early, then come back to Manhattan with more than enough time to get ready for Lauren's bachelorette/bridal shower. Unfortunately, very unfortunately, I received an email around 9:30 in the morning that canceled the Lauren party due to a family emergency in Indianapolis with her father. He is in the hospital, but I do not know details beyond that. That saddened me a lot, because Lauren is very close with her family, and with the chaos of planning a wedding, getting her life stuff in order, and so forth, having something happen to her dad is so shattering (well, as it would be if she weren't planning a wedding.) My heart is with them. So, Craig and I traveled down to the Brooklyn Bridge, emerged from the subway station and proceeded to cross the Bridge. This is Craig's very, very favorite thing to do in all of New York City. It's one of the very rare few things he cannot find any flaw in, walking across that glorious Bridge gawking at all that there is to see. I had the Nikon out, dangling from my neck (I dare not let it just bang against my chest rather I cradle the camera body in my hand - I think I'm over-protective?) but the lens we just bought for my birthday can smell my fear! I am so worried about knowing how to use it. It's enigmatic. It's got two rings - a zoom ring and a focus ring, but I can't figure out how to use either to its maximum capacity and so instead I find myself snapping the same photo from different distances using different focal references and then later realizing how little I know about the dSLR equipment usage. No worries, I am planning to take a Nikon day-long workshop in June to re-learn, and newly learn photography jargon/equipment use. Anyway, we spent a lot of time just strolling. We walked through DUMBO, over to Brooklyn Heights, then took a subway to Grand Army Plaza in Park Slope where we walked and walked along Prospect Park before cutting over to 7th Avenue to find Beer Table, a restaurant Craig has read about and wanted to try. We ate bread and beer cheese and olives and Adam, Julie and Julie's friend Christina met us there for a little while. After that, Craig and I wandered to a couple of more places, then returned to Manhattan to pick up his debit card at Biddy's! We stayed at Biddy's long enough that we were wiped out - lots of sunshine, too many beers, and too little sleep yielded some kind of exhaustion. This morning we headed out to Central Park. The beauty of the days yesterday and today alike had us just reeling with relief, after so much rain and so many cold temps. So we wound through the Park, found a bench near the Great Lawn and sat for some time, then walked across to the West Side, all the way to Broadway and 71st to a new Fatty Crab (Malaysian food we have had down in the Meatpacking District). The steamed pork buns had us both in tears! they were so spicy! And we ordered a green mango salad which had a generous collaboration of pickled items - mango, pineapple, maybe some jicama??, red onion, cilantro, and a handful of other items - oh, including crushed peanuts!, that completely entertained our appetites. Our entrees were interesting, but the sausage was strange. We likely won't eat it again! Then we strolled back in the direction of the Park, slowly making our way through some just amazing New York moments, which found musicians jamming, children screaming and playing, diversely-adorned adults walking/running/just hanging out, sunshine streaming through enormous knotted trees in the Mall, and just a regular wealth of New York at our very disposal. New York City never fails to remind us why we love it here. In fact, today, on more than one occasion I wondered why anyone would live anywhere else. This place is like the only Utopia in America. Of course, I'm biased.*Above pictured is the new perfume I purchased at Sephora on our way out of the Upper West Side today. My good friend recommended it, and when we left Fatty Crab, I spotted the display immediately through Sephora's thrown-open doors. I said, "Craig, I have to go in there really fast." Craig said, "NO." And I rolled my eyes at him and ran inside! Ha ha! I grabbed the perfume and was checked out in no time, after spraying the tester on my wrist, and DAMN! It smells just like my friend suggested - clean, more like a laundry softener combined with some vaguely beautiful flowers than a spray parfum, and definitely something that won't offend (I smell so many colognes and perfumes that make me want to throw chairs!) So, in the spirit of wanting to play with my Nikon, and in the spirit of nice smells, I did a photo shoot with my new scent.*Tonight, and really all weekend, I just pray that my friend Lauren is keeping her Sisi and Noni stable, that she is okay herself, that her most adoring fiance Jeff is embracing them all. I hope her father is okay. Lauren, besos and besos for you from Craig and me.