Weekend Round-Up

I’ve got a confirmed case of Slack Bloggeritis, so here goes nothing. I’ll attempt to sum up the awesomeness of the past few days in this one post. The highlights are really the best part anyway. I mean, do you really want to know the price of the avocados I got at the Chinese market (.89)? That’s what I thought.

Alas, Thursday Pancakes were a FAIL, as we got there and couldn’t fit through the door. Apparently everyone else thought Pancake Month sounded brilliant, and since we weren’t willing to wait an hour for them, we crossed the street to the (slightly sketchy-seeming) Clinton Restaurant, which was blessedly empty. On the plus side, we did get free goat cheese and chive scones, and we were pleasantly surprised to find that they’re much more delicious than they sound.

The Clinton Restaurant has obviously been there for decades, and on the Lower East Side, that means it proudly counted prostitutes and drug dealers among its clientele. Today, it still looks like the odd lady of the night might walk in the door, but the staff was incredibly friendly, and the food and beer were cheap. It’s authentic Spanish and Tex Mex. I got chicken tacos on homemade tortillas, Rebecca got something delicious called Soupy Rice, and Jen got an entire cow, as well as fried plantains and beans and rice. Needless to say, I was the only one who didn’t take a plate home.

Friday dawned cold as a witch’s tit (yes, I just used that expression), and I happily spent most of it indoors working on Vermont and Utah. Eugene came by in the afternoon and ferried me to Brooklyn’s Chinatown so that I could get cheap produce that’s actually ripe. I had the urge to make soup from the yams I picked up at the farmer’s market, and naturally I’ve been researching what to do with the ton of kale I’ve still got in my fridge.

I like the Chinese market because it’s endlessly entertaining, everything is marked in English too, and I can afford fish there. After checking my list twice, we rushed back to Park Slope, picked up Five Guys on the way home, and I got ready for the ballet while Eugene entertained Lola. I’ve only been to the ballet once before, several years ago, and the girls wanted to give Sleeping Beauty a shot. Eugene, being Russian, couldn’t actually resist the call of his homeland’s favorite art form, so he came too.

It was a beautiful ballet with incredibly colorful costumes and elaborate set screens that added depth and detail to the action. I especially liked the hunt party scene and the boat scene, which unfortunately Jen missed most of due to soothing music and cushy seats. The theater is gorgeous as well. I really love all of the buildings in Lincoln Center, and I’d like to see La Boheme soon so I can pretend I’m in Moonstruck. “Snap outuvit!”

After the ballet, Eugene had to save the day in Brooklyn by fixing a busted pipe (it was soooo cold), and the rest of us headed to a birthday party at Botanica on Houston. I was kind of dreading the crowd there, which is straight NYU scenesters, but it actually wasn’t so bad once we sat down. We even got a little dancing done. Highlight of the night: guy in turtleneck and blazer getting down by his lonesome, from one end of the bar to the other, all night. Unfortunate development: a Puerto Rican named Enrique with Jesus tattoos and a jawline beard deciding I was awesome.

Needless to say, I didn’t do much on Saturday, apart from throw on clothes in time to get a package from the Fedex guy. BUT, I did make my sweet potato soup, and then headed over to the Brooklyn Museum for First Saturday with Jen to get our incredibly cool art print. Sure, we got roped into joining First Fans again, but we got an art print! and a calendar! and a tote! We love free stuff. After the score, we met Rebecca and Andy at Babeland for a singles event (that we only attended for free booze), and Rebecca got anonymously hit on by a lesbian. Andy feigned jealousy and Rebecca asked the clerk for a vodka on the rocks.

We then went to this awesome bar on 10th avenue called Pony Bar for Andy’s friend’s birthday drinks. It’s a craft beer bar, and all of the beers are $5, no matter the percentage. Even better, a group of Coast Guardsmen who’d been breaking ice on the Hudson for two weeks were in town for one night, and one of them bought me drinks all night. Sadly, he underestimated me, and I was much more coherent than him when we were ready to leave. Unfortunately, he didn’t take kindly to that, which ended in me hiding behind a cab and Rebecca being harassed. Sorry Rebecca, but thanks for taking one for the team.

The face of evil.

I’ll leave out the parade of other destinations that night, but just know that I will never again be lured into Rudy’s, the site of the infamous iPhone theft of ‘09. I don’t care how many free hotdogs they offer, I’m never setting foot into that cavern of malcontents ever again. It’s a black hole where souls and expensive possessions go to die.

Yesterday, to my delight, I was feeling swell, and to celebrate, I watched the rest of the first season of my new favorite show, Weeds. It’s hilarious and witty and I’m totally hooked. Closer to game time, Eugene picked me up on the way to Spumoni Gardens, one of the best pizza places in all of Brooklyn. Unfortunately, it’s sort of in the middle of nowhere Bensonhurst, so a car is helpful. I’ve seen them on Food Network, and they’re known for their signature square pies with the cheese under the sauce. We had a slice while we waited on the pie for the Super Bowl party, and it was sheer and unadulterated pizza ecstasy. I’m telling you, not even the guidos in sweat pants and puffy coats could detract from my bliss.

We also got spumoni, which is some kind of cross between ice cream and icies. Rainbow to be exact, which is a mix of pistachio, vanilla and chocolate. Also, unlike ice cream and going against every rational impulse, you don’t eat it with any kind of utensil. I went straight from there to Dylan’s Super Bowl party where I gorged on guacamole, warm spinach and artichoke dip, homemade tortilla chips, and potato skins covered in bacon. Say what you will…it’s the Super Bowl. I walked in during a surprisingly heated game of poker, and Dylan has promised to start a much less intense poker night so that I can finally remember the rules.

At about halftime I walked over to Jess and Matt’s place to see my favoritest people (unfortunately, I missed my favoritest baby Colin and his mom). There was much delicious food, which I unfortunately could not possibly eat, and good friends to catch up with. Afterward, we tracked down Eugene’s hat, which James fell in love with before disappearing into the night. Not surprisingly, he was tracked down at Harry’s, so we stopped by for a little drink, darts, and dancing in the early hours.

Lola also knows how to party, as I awoke to find the ziploc of red velvet cake I’d brought from the party torn open, and half its contents gone into the belly of the beast. I guess midnight munchies happen to the best of us.

Sex Ed and Pancakes

Yesterday was errand day in the city, which was fortunately more productive than errand day in Brooklyn at the employment office.

We were supposed to start the day getting our workforce training workshop out of the way, but due to the oversight of a young man at the office, we didn’t arrive in time to sign up. Sigh. He has since received a strongly-worded email.

After that, Eugene and I discovered that the botanic gardens are free, free, free every weekday in February. So, we went for a wander in the snow, searching for signs of spring like we found the last time it snowed. Alas, no blooms except for witch hazel, but plenty of daffodil shoots peeking out of the ground.

After a quick lunch in which Eugene did not spit out my squash and kale gratin, we set out for the big city to return my things to macy’s and pick up eugene’s camera, long under repair. We also managed to wander past the cats up for adoption in Petco before stopping in at the Belgian Bar in the West Village for beer, Belgian fries, and steamed mussels.

We then hurried uptown to meet Jen at the Natural History Museum for their Scicafe talk on “Why Women Have Sex,” based on the book the speaker had just published. Not surprisingly, a few more people showed up last night than made an appearance for the last one on new species of fish in the Congo.

You can tell they’re slowly getting the hang of this whole “getting young people to come to your event” thing, except that they’re still over-selling it a bit with the free pita, olives, and hummus, and cloth tablecloths and candlelight. I mean, we pee in scary places in the East Village for free pizza, and there’s not even a possibility of meeting anyone worthwhile there.

The talk was a bit predictable (women’s reasons for having sex are much more complicated and diverse than men’s), but the speaker threw in some jokes, and like I said, there was booze and olives. It really doesn’t take much for us.

So today, after working alllllll day and taking a quick trip around the botanic gardens in an attempt to soak up the last of the day’s vitamin d, I’m headed to Clinton Street Bakery to meet Rebecca and Jennifer for Pancake Month! Today’s pancake is pear. More to come.

Adventures in Kale

On Saturday, I took a brief break from my usual slothful ways and trudged to the Green Market, which owes almost all of its green these days to things like kale, chard, and collards. Women’s Health has been assaulting me with helpful emails about power foods and fat-busting foods, and in a fit of paranoia, I decided I wasn’t getting enough of the green stuff this winter.

So, I brought back a lovely bouquet of fringed leaves, and promptly stuck them in the fridge for lack of a better idea. I ended up eating out both Sunday and Monday nights, and in my usual fashion, I told myself that I was too busy with work to experiment.

On a side note, Dylan suggested Chavellas, a Mexican joint a few blocks from me for dinner on Monday night, and though I’ve had their takeout before, I was shocked to see that the restaurant is cute cute cute, aaaaand they include tacos and beer in happy hour! How was this hidden from me? I distinctly remember reading online that it wasn’t a great place to eat in, but honestly, I’ve eaten in smaller places in Manhattan where the wait was 10x as long. So, that’s my new go-to spot. Thanks Dylan, for broadening my horizons.

Incidentally, I also got to (finally) see Dylan’s new loft home, and I have to say it’s pretty awesome, even in spite of the “walk of death”-seeming blocks of warehouses it lives on. His roommate Danny is handy with a saw and built the entire place three years ago. My favorite feature is a giant painting of all six members of the cast of Friends in the entryway, which no one seems to know the origin of. They’ve also got a band room and a woodworking room, in addition to the giant open living room and kitchen. I met all 6 of his roommates, and we played darts and some strange hybrid of Scrabble called Bananagrams.

BUT, back to the kale. I worked most of the day yesterday, but about lunchtime, I found myself feeling a little reckless. So, a desire to make grits with cheddar (from Cracker Barrel, no less) turned into a desire to somehow mix kale into cheddar grits. I sauteed garlic, kale, and red wine vinegar, then added it to the grits and topped with grated cheddar, and I have to say it was amazing. It may sound simple, but this whole “not using a recipe” thing does not come easily for me. I’m just thrilled it was edible.

Coming off the high from lunch, I decided to also incorporate kale into dinner. I found a recipe online for spaghetti squash (I’ve had one sitting on my counter for months) and kale gratin, which I assume is northern for casserole, based on this recipe I found online. So, I managed to sautee the garlic and onion, add the greens, then mix in the requisite squash, cheese, egg, and chives, and made something that is definitely not bad. Ta da!

Lola, unaccustomed to this much action in the kitchen, begs for a piece of it.

Post-Afterburn

So, after spending most of last week being irresponsibly fun-loving and carefree, I spent all of Saturday and Sunday making up for it. It was a real drag, but this is the price I must pay for living it up while everyone else is working.

But, at least I had a free movie and dinner with Randy to look forward to. Sadly, the movie we saw was a marathon in sadness, but at least the acting was good. In A Single Man, Colin Firth is a man in the 1960s mourning his lover of 16 years who was killed in a car crash along with their two dogs. It starts after 8 months of grieving on the day he plans to commit suicide and details the day amid flashbacks. I basically cried the entire way through, but the music was beautiful and I think it has a chance for an Oscar.

After dragging me to a movie that made me cry, Randy made amends by taking me to a really nice Mexican place in the West Village where I got three types of enchiladas and (for a first) Dos Equis served in a wine glass. I call that a good night, and I was happy to waddle home and pass out early after a beer from the growler Eugene filled up for me upstate.

The Afterburn

After a week filled with so much fun, it’s only natural that I’d need to take some time to a) sleep and b) work for the means to do more things. So that’s what I’ve been doing instead of updating the blog. Well, pretty much anyway.

After my awesome Wednesday, I was straight worn out, and my motivation to do anything beyond the confines of my bed was not increased by the random snowstorm visible from my window. Alas, I’d told Eugene that we would do something, and he was up bright and early, eager to procrastinate on his own work.

Luckily, he knows me well enough by now to bring provisions on tough missions, so we breakfasted on delicious bacon, egg, and cheese croissants and coffee (thank god) before wandering out into the world.

We actually ended up at Spa 88 where we met Matt, who’s recovering from foot surgery and thrilled to be out of the house. It’s great going to spa during the day when it’s empty, though the staff was a bit surly on account of cleaning up damage from a small fire the night before. This time we did things right and took in delicious (and cheap) empanadas from a nearby store and only paid for tea.

We actually found a nice spa called Body by Brooklyn, which is really close and does two for one entry three days a week…very exciting…we love a deal. We’re going to check it out soon, though maybe after work so we can take Jen.

Put on your booties, 'cause it's cooold out there.

I left the spa a bit early to meet Rebecca and Jen at the Tenement Museum for a talk by the author of Mitzfah Girls, a study of Hasidic girls and women in Brooklyn. We actually ride our bikes through Borough Park, the neighborhood she worked in, on the way to Coney Island. And, I find Hasidics, particularly women, bizarre and fascinating, so it was cool to hear more specifics about their beliefs. Plus, we got there early enough to get seats and enjoy the beer-by-donation.

Afterward, the girls were ravenous, so we headed out into the brutally cold night to eat noodles in Chinatown before going uptown for a slightly misdirected attempt to celebrate a friend’s bartending debut. In truth, it was a human error involving a Facebook invite, but that’s neither here nor there since we had such a good time with Matt and Jessica anyway.

If I’d thought it was hard getting up Thursday, it was nothing to Friday. I actually ended up sleeping in until 10, which never happens. After lunch at my favorite Mexican place La Taqueria de los Muertos, I headed into the city to meet Rebecca and Jen at the Museum of Modern Art, so that we could use our free pass to see the Tim Burton exhibit.

Even before the free Friday night crowds, it was crowded, and we were glad we got to go in early. I was amazed at how diverse Tim Burton’s media is, given that he’s best known for film and animation. They had some really cool sketches from his childhood and a film he directed and starred in with neighbor kids.

They also had some cool sketches he did while animating for Disney, a college film, sculpture and a cuckoo clock. Expectedly, there was also a ton of movie memorabilia, and the poor guy guarding it joked that he usually daydreams a bit, but if he looks away for one second there, someone’s touching Edward Scissorhands’s hands or trying on the Batman mask.

I was actually amazed by how uncreepy Tim Burton is, from his early years to even now. His creations are different but consistent over the years in their creepiness, and he’s just a guy who loves them.

We were thrilled to see the outer boroughs represented.

After we left, we wandered among Monet’s Waterlilies for a while and then
tried out Gabriel Orozco’s retrospective, which wasn’t quite as compelling. The last straw was when we saw a woman guarding an empty shoebox on the floor that was “art.” I thought Jen was going to go through the ceiling, considering she’d already told us how much she hates modern art.

Post-culturificatiom, we decided we could really use a drink, so we went to my favorite 2-for-1 martini place, which I still can’t remember the name of. After a couple of extra dirty gin martinis (the only way to drink them), Jen had to go uptown for dinner, and Rebecca and I took the low road to the East Village.

Jen and I are natural performers. Thanks for the spotlight, MoMa.

Not many people know, but there is indeed a bar called Standings that offers excellent free pizza every Friday night. And, the average person should not underestimate how this influences our decision about where to drink on Friday nights. After ordering our wonderfully warming Bluepoint Winter Lagers, we realized with squeals of delight that there was bacon-covered pizza. A truly decadent and satisfying end to a good day.

One Fine Day

For all wondering, yes, that's a tiny Asian girl carrying an accordian on the subway.

Once again, I find myself exhausted from an excess of fun. Things could be much, much worse. In an effort to wring every last bit out of Jennifer’s remaining days among the unemployed, we met at the Tribeca Whole Foods (which is amazing btw) at 10:30 to make sure we got free month passes at the exclusive gym-to-the-stars, Equinox, during a Wellness workshop. Naturally, Jen found out about said free stuff via Twitter, which I have forsaken, and she was ready to knock over any nannies or affluent pregnant ladies who got in the way. In the end, it wasn’t necessary, because we were practically the only ones there.

We had a lot of fun at the event, even after getting our free passes. The free chair massage was a huge bonus, and me and Geoff had a nice little chat about the knots in my back (not possibly stress-induced, I informed him) and how he used to work at the Swedish Institute where I used to go get massages every week. It’s the best thing since the dole for poor people who like to live like the rich. Since they’re students, it’s super cheap.

Jen stands in awe of the sugar bar while I take contraband photos.

We also got free fancy sports drinks, almonds, and learned how to make an extremely easy salad with kale, lemon juice and olive oil. Someone had the balls to ask us what we do for a living, which was a slightly shame-inducing conversation. I diverted the flow to Jen’s new job and then changed the subject. At least one of us is respectable now.

After we’d sponged until we could sponge no more, we did a quick circuit of the Whole Foods aromatherapy aisle, admired the sheer number of food bars, and got chastised for taking photos (yes, we’re those people). We then jumped on the train to grab lunch at the delicious and much less crowded uptown branch of the Shake Shack, where they know how to make a burger, among other things.

Freshly stuffed, we waddled over to the Museum of Natural History across the street to sponge again, this time courtesy of our friend Michael who humors us with free admission. We were thrilled to find out that we could not only get into the Silk Road special exhibit and the Butterfly Conservatory, but the new IMAX movie Mysteries of the Great Lakes as well! We opted for that first to allow time to digest our giant burgers, and it was a really beautiful and interesting film. The focus was this adorable man and his quest to save the sturgeon from extinction, but the beauty shots of the lakes were amazing, and the IMAX shot going over Niagara Falls put my stomach in my throat.

The Silk Road exhibit was really interesting, and there were a lot of interactive elements (like getting to stamp your “passport” at each major city along the way) that kept things lively. We had just enough time after that to get to the Butterfly Conservatory, which is only open in winter. Finding it poses a bit of a challenge, but after skirting African Mammals and taking a turn through the dinosaur room, we came to it, and I was really glad I’d lugged my fancy camera around all day.

Unfortunately, once inside, Jennifer realized that she and Eugene’s three-year-old daughter had something in common, in that they were both unaware of how terrifying butterflies could be. It’s true. So, while I was trying to will some very energetic winged creatures into inertia, Jennifer was counting to 10 and trying not to panic. When one glanced off of her head, it was all she wrote. It was also a balmy 80 degress with 80% humidity, so no one was staying a really long time. I am really grateful that we got to go when it was practically empty and not on a weekend.

We closed the museum and decided to take advantage of Whole Foods’ sample night, aka “Cheap Date Night,” before running some errands on 5th avenue. The best of all was the pound cake dipped in chocolate, but there was also a wonderful salad made with onions, feta cheese, blueberry vinaigrette, and blueberries that I may have to try myself. I also re-stocked my tea supply since it was on sale, so it didn’t feel like we were complete leeches. Errands afterward consisted of using a Banana Republic coupon I had, which got me a new dress (just what I needed!) Taking a breather now to prepare for tomorrow’s big adventure. More to come.

Celebrate Good Times (With Expensive Food)

Last night, in honor of Jennifer’s 28th year of gracing the world with her presence, we convened at the ultra-swanky Stanton Social for tapas and tasty beverages.

We had a beautiful party of 6 lovely ladies, but unfortunately there is no proof because Apple hasn’t managed to put a flash on the iPhone, and there was rampant mood lighting.

I convinced the girls to order oysters, even though there were a few reluctant oyster-eaters in the party, and I was well satisfied with the Malbecs we got. They were crisp and ultra briney, and they came with a choice of four sauces. We also got salmon sashimi with avocado, fried goat cheese pierogies with onions and delicious sauce, French onion soup dumplings, blackened shrimp with feta salsa, and spicy squid lettuce wraps.

I’m actually going to start a new paragraph to describe the life-altering deliciousness of the toasted grilled cheese with jalapeño marinated bacon slider that I was lucky enough to ingest. Seriously, it rocked my world. The bacon was thick-cut, slightly blackened, with just a hint of spice, and the bread was toasted on a grill, which I told myself made up for the sinful bacon. Oh, the lies we tell ourselves.

On to the tasty beverages, which were excellent. I was pleased that they grace their dirty martinis with the jumbo olives, and I always got one more than Rebecca from our cute waiter. PLUS, Rebecca didn’t even want hers, so I got hers too! Jennifer got an amazing pineapple martini that tasted exactly like candy, so she steered clear of those for the rest of the night.

Dessert was a lavish affair. Jen had been looking forward to the red velvet Twinkie with creme fraiche filling, and someone ordered the most amazing peanut butter chocolate sundae. Jen also got a little cupcake with a candle in honor of her special day, thus ending a very sumptuous birthday gathering.

Crazy Heart

Upon successfully reaching Sunday a) with all of my possessions and b) without a hangover, I decided to meet Jen for a movie and use the handy free tickets I got from Banana Republic. They totally owed me.

Unfortunately, Rebecca did not satisfy factors a and b, so she was absent from Crazy Heart with an amazing Jeff Bridges and an astoundingly vocally talented Irish Colin Farrell. There were also some lovely beauty shots of what I think was New Mexico, and I add that this film is not just like The Wrestler.

After the film, I was feeling a bit jello legged, but not ready to throw in the towel, so Jen led me to her peeps at this Israeli coffee shop called Aroma. For a chain (and even not for a chain), this place was nice. My mocha was gorgeous ad practically hot chocolate, and they serve my all-time favorite breakfast sandwich, egg and cheese on croissant, all day.

So, we whiled away a couple of hours there before I headed home to collapse in a heap on my couch.

Right now I’m waiting on a train to take me to the Lower East Side for Jen’s birthday dinner at Stanton Social. In honor of being somewhere that requires dress beyond my pjs, I’m wearing my black sleeveless dress with snazzy new silver belt. Lookout civilization, I’ve only talked to Eugene, my mom, and Larry from Bryce National Park in Utah today. I’m coming for you!!

Action Smacktion

As I sit here on the train, a popular saying comes to mind. Wait, what am I saying? There’s no way anything coherent could be going through my mind, because I’m braindead from too much fun. That right…like the country song.

Friday night, post-first round of antibiotics, I manned up and met Lana and her pharmacy friends for what turned out to be a very fun (and not too shabby, I might add) night of bowling at Chelsea Piers. Much over-priced food and drink were consumed, no thanks to our waitress, who we regularly had to file missing person reports for. Thank goodness for over-worked pharmacists who take every opportunity to party down.

After bowling and the lengthy “settling of the check,” we piled into cars to dance at Le Poisson Rouge in the West Village in honor of their Madonna, Prince Michael Jackson/ Beyonce, Lady Gaga night. Being of a daring persuasion after a few drinks, I refused to pay a cover and slipped under the ropes into the club, followed closely by Lana’s friend Anthony. I guess the others were feeling more honorable (read less broke), because we didn’t see them again, but we made the best of it and danced our socks off. The highlight of the night was definitely when they played Thriller and 10 girls immediately fell into formation and performed the entire dance. I love the West Village.

I was understandably pooped on Saturday, but I’d agreed to give Rebecca some jen time, so after a quick run to my favorite place (just behind the container store) Lowes with Eugene, I convinced him to give us a lift to the notoriously hard to get to Red Hook. BUT, before that we happened upon this amazing climbing wall in gowanus, tipped off by the cool graffiti. Defintiely going to give it a shot soon.

Once in down-and-dirty Red Hook, Rebecca and I tried brunch at this place called Kevin’s (shortly after spending an embarassing amount of time deciding what day it was). The place was empty at 12:30, and the food was so so good.

We had French press coffee, and I got perfectly cooked and buttered blueberry pancakes with fried eggs. Rebecca got the spinach salad just to make me feel like the glutton I am.

After brunch, we wandered the warehouse streets taking photos with my snazzy new camera (the one I’m trying desperately to use properly). Red Hook has an incredible view of the Statue of Liberty, as well as some off-beat and urban color, making it an awesome place to shoot.

At mid-afternoon I hopped a bus to Park Slope where I met Jen at the Central Library’s talk on Mexican artists, namely Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. It was interesting, and we got free passes to MoMa out of the deal.

I immediately went home and hopped in the shower to get ready for my dinner date at Moutard, a French bistro in Park Slope. I’ve only had brunch there, so dinner was a treat. I had fois gras for the first time, and honestly, I could take it or leave it. I also had scallops and spinach in a cream sauce, but no dessert, opting instead to save room for beer. Classy to the last.

We played a few rounds of darts at largely empty Harry’s and the nearby Dram Shop before I hopped on a train to dumbo for Sam’s birthday drinks. It was a swell time in which I repeatedly hugged Sam’s parents, tried not to flirt with her married brother, danced to anything audible, and eventually passed out in the car on the way home. All-in-all, a very good day in the life and times of Jen.

Dr Feelgood

Today, at long last, I went to the doctor about this cough I’ve had for 2 weeks. Everyone I’ve talked to in the last 2 weeks is thrilled to hear it, and now I’ve got some nice antibiotics to see me through.

Yesterday, post-deadline, I took the opportunity to do nothing at all. I walked Otto at the crack of dawn, then got wonderful sushi with Eugene at this place in Park Slope. After that, we dropped by the social security administration, only to find the line ridiculously long and immobile.

Instead, we opted for the brand new Arbys that opened up on Fulton (the first of its kind here) in the building formerly occupied by the oldest restauant in New York. An Arbys has never had it so good.

Later, a group of us dropped by Matt’s house to keep him company since he’s been laid up on the couch since his surgery.

Today, pretty much the only thing on the agenda was the doctor, which is more of a production than it seems since her office is in midtown. Now, after overnapping, I’m headed into the city to meet Lana for bowling. Kind of just wish I’d stayed in bed, but it’ll be good to see her.