The Cave Singers

I went to see the Cave Singers and Lia Ices last night at the Red Palace.  It was a great little concert venue only located a couple of blocks from home. Lia Ices was a combination of Bjork and Tori Amos. I can't say I came out a huge fan of hers, but she was interestingly modest.

I thought the Cave Singers were terrific in their short and sweet set. I have to say their lead singer reminded me of Casey Abrams from American Idol. They were so fun musically, just jamming and using all sorts of musical instruments in cuts from all of their albums. They did Beach House as part of their encore; I was super happy about that.  The crowd was definitely white hipster.  Good to see people out and about in the 'hood.

And I'm glad I finally got out, all by my lonesome. Why oh why do I not go to more shows?!?!

Envy

Yeah, I'm getting to that point...whether it's hearing of a friend or a colleague or a celebrity, it makes me a bit wistful.

It will be alright, alright, alright...that is all I can say. Alright with me.

New York

I was in New York on Monday. I lose track of the travel sometimes; I get so used to getting on that plane or train or driving. I've been to California three times, New York twice, Charlottesville, and New Orleans. And I have Michigan, Chicago, more California, more New York, and elsewhere left to go.

I like to travel but I'm tired of it. So much going on. And I miss out on life here. But when I'm here, hubbie is gone. Sigh.

Grandpa's Birthday

Remembering Grandpa Charlie on his birthday. Happy 97th.

It has been almost 6.5 years since he passed away, moving on to a better place.  Sometimes it is amazing to me that it has been so long.  I was remembering our walks after family dinners, his hats, his chair, his grin.  I remember him coming over to just come over, be with family, read the paper, just get out.  I hope I am as active as he was if I live so long.  He is missed, and I hope his great-grandchildren learn about him someday.

Ladies Dinner

We had a fun ladies night out dinner at The Liberty Tavern in Arlington on Saturday night. Much to celebrate!

I started with a half-portion of the "Gnocchi trumpet royal, hedgehog and porcini mushrooms, cotechino sausage, arugula."  Wow, was it good. A little salty, but that's ok. I could have eaten this entire portion for my entree.  I followed up with" Georges Bank Haddock wrapped in house bacon, with buckwheat polenta, roasted Brussels sprouts, chestnuts, pink peppercorns, chestnut-rosemary emulsion."  Also very delicious.  I just couldn't finish it all, though.  I am loving the polenta, the bacon was perfect, and the fish very nicely cooked.  We then shared a cheese plate and decaf coffees, like the rebels we are. Very  nice meal! And I had two delicious cocktails: "Hemingway Daquiri Cruzan Light Rum, Fresh Lime, Ruby Grapefruit, Luxardo, Up" and another that does not appear to be listed. I was a happy girl.

I had brunch at Jackson 20 on Sunday. I think the hash brown and free fruit plate were the best parts of the meal. Coffee was eh. And the plentiful bacon was great, but not the best bacon.  $10 for bacon and eggs weren't bad though.

I cannot complain, though. Good eating weekend, with tacos on Sunday  night. And a really good Bertolli Shrimp pasta on Friday night that fueled my 8 mile run.

Happy Birthday Metro

Pretty cool.  Lots of stops have opened since I've been here!  And yes, I am three weeks older.

Heritage Covers Detroit

Even Heritage covers Detroit.

Michael Barone comments, too.

RIP Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor died yesterday at the age of 79.  I read an interesting tidbit that she was one day younger than Johnny Cash.  Two legends, two Pisces.

I thought this was an interesting quote for one of her last interviews:

"I never planned to acquire a lot of jewels or a lot of husbands," she said in the interview. "For me, life happened, just as it does for anyone else. I have been supremely lucky in my life in that I have known great love, and of course … some incredible and beautiful things."  

How true. Your intentions never truly play out in life.  Sometimes, things happen totally different than planned, and the things you plan turn out terribly different than how you intended.  Her life demonstrates what a fabulous journey 79 years on earth can bring you, and I am sure she lived with very few regrets at the end.  She knew great love and terrible sorrow.  Fantastic achievements and I'm sure her share of despair.  Don't we all.  And she lived a marvelous life, and her legacy in her efforts against AIDS are truly lasting. Rest in Peace.

Detroit Flight

Wow--over 25% of Detroiters have left this decade.

In 1950, Detroit was the fifth-largest city in America, behind New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, and it was in the top 10 as recently as the 1990 Census. Now, Detroit is likely to fall to 19th, behind Indianapolis and Columbus, Ohio.

The numbers add new urgency to Mr. Bing's campaign to align the sprawling city's finances and geography with its shrinking population—a process the mayor acknowledges is taking more time than he envisioned. For more than a year, the mayor has been working on a restructuring plan that would end some municipal services in sparsely populated areas. At the same time, the city is working to attract young, educated residents to help stabilize neighborhoods.
 
"We are going to continue to lose population unless we continue to make cultural changes," Mayor Bing said Tuesday. "We have got to make sure that our neighborhoods are safe, that they are growing, that we have good housing stock and make sure that people have the right services. All those things are very important at maintaining population."

 And it will fall further, too.  20% of the city's housing is vacant.  That is 80,000 homes, not counting ones torched. 

New Orleans 2011

We had another foodie extravaganza this past weekend in New Orleans. Meeting, blah. Time with friends was much better.

Dinner on Friday was at Muriel's Jackson Square. I foolishly indulged in an awful, cough syrupy hurricane before hand and pretty much ruined my appetite. I had a corn & crab bisque, BBQ Shrimp (New Orleans Barbeque shrimp enhanced with Abita beer and rosemary; served with a chipolte-parmesan grit cake), and Vanilla Bean Créme Brûlée.  I should have gotten the bread pudding.  Everything was delicious, though I don't think my stomach was doing so well the next day. 

Saturday lunch was on the lighter side at Galatoire's.  I just had shrimp creole. Again, too much even with that. Tummy was bothered after a five mile run down St. Charles.  I never even made it to any shops this time.


We had dinner Saturday night at Ralph's on the Park. We had oysters rockefeller reprise, with spnach custard and bacon breadcrumbs.  This was followed by turtle soup and blackened redfish with a shrimp dressing.  The only disappointment was the bread pudding, which was like soggy french toast. And no special upgrades in wine, oh well.  We ended up Davenport Lounge at the Ritz.  It was a little crazy, room 792 included.


Great weekend but too much to do.

Ten things

New Orleans bound.
30% off at Banana Republic coupon!
Loving the Dodos.
Wish I was at SXSW.
75 degree weather.  Enough said.
Full speed ahead on the housing.
Hungry, hungry, hungry.  Have not been cooking much lately.
So excited about work travel with colleagues, lol.
The situation in Japan is dire, heartbreaking.  They compare it to Three Mile Island now.  The devastation from the earthquake and tsunami is barely being addressed.  And no one has a clue. Let alone the Obama administration, which is a non-factor these days.
I will be better about blogging. I will be. Life is moving too fast for me right now.

California Again

I made trip #3 to California this past weekend. Oh man, it was a long one.  Rosewood was a terrific hotel, though, and one of the nicest places I've stayed.  Breakfast was nice, lunch was OK, and then the trip quickly slid downhill...I am just glad to be home.

The rest of the weekend was spent doing house stuff and meeting up with Freddie and family for some Italian.  It will only get busier from here on out...

St. Patrick's Day 8k

The first with Steve. Not my best day, but after no sleep, a time change, daylight savings time, etc. etc. I finished. 360th overall of women (out of 3177; top 12%); 35th out of 434 in my age (older) group (8%); and 25:32 5K time, 41:36 overall, and an 8:22 mile. Eh. I guess you can't PR them all.

Album of the Day

Loving the new The Joy Formidable.  OK, I will have to buy this one too next week.

I'm also liking Admiral Fallow. I love the NPR Music All Songs SXSW preview. And the itunes one.  Oh, why can't I be in Austin right now! I think it was G Love that stood out to me. More free music stalking will commence soon.

Travel Fatigue

I haven't even left for CA left and I'm tired.

This is trip #3 to California this year. Then it's a litany of trips, including New Orleans, NY, NY, Detroit, Chicago, Phoenix, possibly LA, and northern California. I'm tired just thinking about it. I'd rather stay home, getting moving behind me, and rest.

Or take a real vacation like my brother. Go to Europe, or Mexico, or Hawaii, or anywhere in the Caribbean.  No computers. No emails. No noisy neighbors. No headaches.

I'm tired of work travel. But there's no way out of it, is there?  I guess babies are a way out, but I'm not thinking that will happen soon. I'm 35 and without a plan.

The day started out well, with free Starbucks and King Cake. It is Mardi Gras, or Paczki Day, after all. But I'm feeling tired and bummed and my eye is still fuzzy. It's been a long one.

Happy 103rd Birthday

I wrote this tribute a year ago.

His little namesake is a photographer, like him, and he likes dogs and computers, like he did (or would have).  I can only imagine how he'd enjoy digital photography or DVRs or flat screen TVs or any of these modern technologies that were not known back in 1994.  Wow, a year from now I would have gone half my lifetime without him.  It feels like yesterday at times. 

Paul Johnson

A nice WSJ interview with one of my favorite authors, Paul Johnson.
And a great quote:

"One of the categories of people I don't like much are intellectuals," Mr. Johnson says. "People say, 'Oh, you're an intellectual,' and I say, 'No!' What is an intellectual? An intellectual is somebody who thinks ideas are more important than people."

He recollects an anecdote of his meeting with Winston Churchill when he was 16, and he pointed out that he is among the dwindling number of people who have met him.  Reminds me of the other day about the WWI veterans. Very few left who got to know them.

Also:

His concern with the human dimension of history is reflected as well in his attitude toward humor, the subject of another recent book, "Humorists." "The older I get," he tells me, "the more important I think it is to stress jokes." Which is another reason he loves America. "One of the great contributions that America has made to civilization," he deadpans, "is the one-liner." The one-liner, he says, was "invented, or at any rate brought to the forefront, by Benjamin Franklin." Mark Twain's were the "greatest of all."

And then there was Ronald Reagan. "Mr. Reagan had thousands of one-liners." Here a grin spreads across Mr. Johnson's face: "That's what made him a great president."

Jokes, he argues, were a vital communication tool for President Reagan "because he could illustrate points with them." Mr. Johnson adopts a remarkable vocal impression of America's 40th president and delivers an example: "You know, he said, 'I'm not too worried about the deficit. It's big enough to take care of itself.'" Recovering from his own laughter, he adds: "Of course, that's an excellent one-liner, but it's also a perfectly valid economic point." Then his expression grows serious again and he concludes: "You don't get that from Obama. He talks in paragraphs."

 These one-liners, or short parables that President Reagan used, are so true.  And Obama, well, so true, too.

Happy Birthday to Me

I am thirty five today. 35. Somehow that does seem older. 23 seems young, 26 or 27 seems youngish.  32 or 33, still early 30s.  35 is half way to 40, old enough to run for president and old enough to know better.  35 means another wrinkle or two appears, more crow's feet.  It means feeling softer and advanced maternal age. It means people start looking at you as older, out of the 30-34 racing group, out of the coveted 18-34 demographic. It means...35.

I don't have children, and I may never have children.  I have a "career" and a mortgage and I need a new house. It means I haven't taken enough vacations, and I haven't had enough fun as a young 'un, and can't change that fact.

35 means being a bit more grown up, and being okay with that, because you cannot turn back the clock.  It means being able to enjoy a good steak dinner and still be able to rally tomorrow and run five miles, and go grocery shopping and go look at houses and get ready for a brunch. It means all of those things.

Happy 35th birthday to me. How did I ever get to be 35? I remember turning four! I remember thinking at 5, my birthday should now be on the 5th, as logic had it, right?!  It means remembering turning 18, 17 years ago! It means celebrating another birthday in DC, almost as many birthdays here (14) as I celebrated in Michigan (18). It means half way to 40 and half way to 70. 

Happy birthday, 35th birthday, to me. 36 doesn't seem as bad, does it?

New Music Lately IV

I'm really enjoying the new REM CD, which is streaming right now at NPR Music. Discoverer is a great single, catchy and upbeat and still reminiscent of class REM.  I have at least three singles on my ipod, and I'm tempted to buy the full one next Tuesday when it's released. Good stuff.

Also, I'm enjoying Middle Brother, though it's freebies Me Me Me and Middle Brother remain my two favorite songs. I'm not disappointed, but was hoping it would be a little catchier the first couple of times I listened to it. I still have the new Adele, Cave Singers, and Telekinesis in rotation on the ipod.  The Cave Singers get better with each listen. Rolling in the Deep and Someone Like You are great songs, and I liked the unplugged version offered on Amazon of the latter song.

I also like Hayes Carll's KMAG YOYO which I need to download.  Plus, SXSW is coming up and I'm sure there will be some great streaming opportunities and hopefully a free itunes playlist or two! And one day, if I'm lucky, I'd love to attend in person...

Birthday Dinner

We ate last night at Bibiana to celebrate Steve's 37th birthday.  I had the Arancini (Saffron Rice Fritters, Mozzarella) which were good but not nearly as good as Taylor's risotto balls.  Steve chose Spaghetti al Nero di Seppia (Black Spaghetti, Maryland Jumbo Lump Crab, "Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino") and this seafood brother which I can't identify from the menu online. He had the spaghetti, which was tender and the crab was perfectly light. The seafoody broth paled in comparison to the Atlas Room's seafood stew, which is what he really wanted.  We also shared a slice of the ricotta cheesecake, which was good, because how can cheesecake not be, but had a little too much going on.  Anyway, we should have stuck to two pasta dishes. 

Anyway, it was still a good meal out.  Two more days....

Appalling

Musicians I will not support.

How can Beyonce, Mariah, Usher, etc. perform for a brutal terrorist, murderer, and war criminal?

Birthday Week

It's the husband's birthday, 37 today. And I have three more days left til I turn 35.

This year marks a life milestone, in a way, of being in advanced maternal age. Doesn't matter if you have a baby or not. If you google "turning 35" a number of bittersweet blog posts pop up, some funny and others quite sad. This one was funny and it referenced a Sex & the City episode I remember quite well.  Carrie was about to turn 35 and was faced with checking that box 35-44, as opposed to the old reliable 18-34.  That episode is a decade old. Wow.

I'm faced with moving up to the next age bracket at races, though I don't want to be a fast 35 year old, but rather a slow 34 year old.

I wish I was entering this year a little happier, a little more settled, and a little more certain.  Instead, I don't know what the year will bring, but I'm afraid yet again I will be disappointed.  I want and need more, and thinking I will be turning 36 before I know it, with things as is in this holding pattern, well, I'm not crazy about it.

Anyway, let's see what the week brings.