Ramps

New York City in 2012 is indescribable. The weather has been so undeniably splendid that it takes the words "undeniably splendid" to actually describe it. Crystal blue skies, stretches of warm temps, thick growth of the trees and blooms. I'm basically falling madly in love with New York City this year. That may sound funny in that it would seem as though I've always been in love with this town - yet, it's different, this particular year. Me, here, now, life, love, urbanity, rejuvenation and hope. Spring time, I think, puts life into special perspective.

Yesterday I brunched with my girls Dacel and Erica. Let me back track slightly...Friday, I Happy Hour'ed with my girl Dacel. Dacel is an extremely significant influence on me right now. She's got this spirit - and it's not all positivity - she will claim so herself - that is so very natural and comforting, and talking to her is speaking in real adult conversation speak - we may interrupt one another, but we circle back to make sure the coverage of conversation is level. I just love that about her. I love her style, her grace and poise. She's an exquisite find of a friend for me in the City.

Let me circle way back. I failed miserably at documenting my birthday. In fact, I was downright rude to my own birthday in not posting about its goodness. We met at Fish Bar in the East Village and plenty of quality friends made it out - Dacel, Kim, Koryn, Christian, Cynthia, Jess, George, Alicia, Mary, Adam, Julie, Dario...and we laughed and they all shared their poems with me (unforgettable, how amazing to invite friends to personally hand select a poem as a gift - I was overwhelmed by the beauty of it all) and after quite some time the question of dinner arose and it basically amounted to that we had stayed so long at Fish Bar that not many wanted to carry on to dinner at Casimir...totally understandable, I mean, come on, it was a TUESDAY. So I wound up at Casimir with Dario, Christian and Cynthia and we gobbled up oysters, escargot and mussels and sipped Jameson and smoked cigarettes (outside obviously) and lived. Living is such the right way to go. It felt pretty, slightly Parisian (appropriate enough considering Casimir is a French cafe) and I literally could not have requested a more amazing evening with more considerate, beautiful, incredible, intelligent and hilarious individuals. So yes. 2012, thank you for a winning birthday celebration.

So wheeling back to the present (er, more recent past), yesterday I brunched with Dacel and Erica at a place that has unbelievable mac and cheese but is guided under a miserable name: Chat and Chew. Ew. But the food was excellent. Dacel ordered the mac and cheese and we all dove in and Erica ordered deliciously scented pancakes (I can appreciate the olfactory side of the sweet stuff regardless of whether I choose to eat it or not) and I had a breakfast sandwich of some variety (and two Bloody Marys - they were SPICY!) and afterward, we all felt overstuffed so we headed to the Union Square Saturday Farmers' Market. Can I just say...walking through that is a life lesson in simplicity and basic produce beauty. (In fact so stunning I may just go back today!) Above pictured is what they're calling "Ramps." Ramps are supposedly a wild leek, infused with garlic flavor, and I cannot wait to cook with these things. Pungent just sitting there on the counter...planning on cooking food for Johnny today (who is spending his Sunday much as me, recovering, letting the embers of the weekend smolder in order to launch into a new work week - gosh, already?? Mondays come so quickly.) Unlike in the case of leek the usage of the green leaves is encouraged, and in fact was stated to be "incredible as a pesto ingredient." Mmm. Pesto. Ramps. Yum.

So then I came home Saturday mid-aft and plastered myself to my bed to re-watch and re-re-watch YouTube videos of my latest installment of KB Obsession, which is this band called Walk Off the Earth. There are two songs right now that are hovering about which seem to send all of America into a trance: an Adele song called "Someone Like You" and a Gotye song called "Somebody I Used to Know." I like the very blase reference to a person that must obviously mean far more than the titles of these songs suggest, but whatever...that's the point I suppose. Anyway, Walk Off the Earth covers both and in one, Walk Off the Earth members (5) play a single guitar together, each one playing music from the same guitar at the same time. How can music GET more intimate and lovely?

I won't go into all of it. I obsess so quickly and easily that it's almost fruitless to explain one because before you know it, another has taken its place and I'm obsessing over something else and keeping up with that whole racket is a train wreck WHICH IS WHY MY BRAIN MIGHT JUST CAVE IN someday. Seriously.

In any event, my schedule for the evening was that I would meet Alicia AND HER NEW ADORABLE HAIRCUT in Queens on Jackson Ave at a bar before heading to Jess' burlesque show. Alicia and Jess, and oh George...argh, I just want to ball them up and shove them in my bag and spend all of the time with their minds. They're so incredible.

I had plenty a hard time finding Dutch Kills (the bar where Alicia wanted me to meet her) on Jackson because frankly, Queens is confusing for a spoiled little grid-oriented Manhattanite. And frankly, my GPS was even resisting my presence in Queens. Ha. But I did locate her, and I did completely LOVE Dutch Kills (great bar with great drinks, mixologists present) and after a couple of drinks there, we headed to The Secret Theatre for Jess' burlesque show. Now, I have managed to meet, long story short, a guy through a thing through a friend from long ago who wants to participate in Lit Crawl BK 2012. He indicated some something about burlesque interest in one of our emails (literally having nothing to do with Lit Crawl, just a random aside I guess) so I invited him to Jess' show last night - and he came! It was neat, impressive and kind as a gesture - and he enjoyed it rather much so, which I thought was the proverbial icing on the cake.

At the end of the show, there were tons of Jess/George hugs and intros to Daniel, etc., and then Alicia lives within walking distance of the theatre so she headed home and Daniel and I took the 7 into Manhattan and talked about books. We talked about books and words to Grand Central, where we transferred to the 6 and kept on about books. It was fantastic. I can't thank the Universe for better relations with literature right now: tangible books, books on the iPad (wtf), people that I've met that actually read, too. Amendment: read stuff that I like, also. (DANIEL AND I TALKED ABOUT AIMEE BENDER...HE KNOWS WHO SHE IS...WTF! [in an awesome WTF sort of way!])

Things are most definitely heading toward bonkers, in the bonkers direction. But somehow, in some frame of vision, it's all for the best, and it all comes to some surface of comprehension. I say that, and I only half believe it, but I say it because I want to believe it to be true.

Sunday morning gab fest complete. Now time to get this Sunday show on the road.
All my love,
Kristin.