We managed to find a nice apartment in Boston for about a third of what we would have paid for the hotel room. It's still about the same as we would pay for a month in Paris. I never realized how expensive it is to travel in the US.
About a year and a half ago, I announced that I had been attacked by a bout of Shingles. It is still going strong. It's not painful (most of the time), but it itches like crazy, especially at night when I'm trying to get to sleep. I heard from one guy who told me his had lasted for two years. I think I may beat his record, because one thing that exacerbates Shingles, is anything that compromises the immune system. Steroids is one thing that does that and I am currently using two medicines containing steroids. I say currently, but it will most likely be for many years to come.
So now we've had the Boston Bombing, Newtown, Columbine, Aurora (and god only knows how many others) and in spite of all those, we still have no idea what it's like to live in Iraq or Afghanistan day to day. Just going out to buy groceries can mean you'll end up dead or maimed! How can anyone of good conscience justify these ridiculous, unnecessary "wars"? The US government needs to wake up and realize that using the Army, Air Force, Marines or Navy is NOT the way to fight the so-called terrorists. They NEED to realize that by using the military in this way, they are only encouraging others to join the "terrorists"!
Blocked and her husband are going to be in Boston in July for a wedding, so we decided to go up for a week, 21 July to 28 July. I booked a flight on Spirit, an airline on which we've never before flown, so we don't know what to expect, but it's only a three-hour flight so it shouldn't be too bad. Robb made a reservation at the Courtyard by Marriott Boston Copley Square. It seems to be a nice place, but damn it is expensive. For what he is paying for a week in a room, we could have gotten a beautiful one bedroom apartment in Paris for a couple of months!
Dinner at Candela this week. We both had what was listed on the menu as Fish Fillet, which turned out to be Red Snapper on a bed of Cava Risotto. It was super good. For dessert, Robb had the Chocolate Tart and I had Flan. As usual, we drank cava.
So I am now the proud owner of a Bitcoin Wallet. Ah ha, I can hear you, "WTF is a Bitcoin Wallet?" Not so easy to explain, but....Bitcoins are a new, virtual currency that can be used to buy things or pay people for services instead of using dollars or euros, or what ever currency you normally would use for those transactions. The Bitcoin Wallet is a virtual bank account in which you keep your Bitcoins (if you can figure out where to get them) and it is the place from which you make and/or receive payments for goods or services. I'm not totally familiar with the whole thing yet because it's rather complicated and I have yet to find any place that accepts Bitcoins as payment, although I've read that there are a lot of them. Another thing I don't quite understand is how they can be valued like dollars or euros, but according to the latest information, a Bitcoin is worth about $172, and people are 'collecting' them. Some have even suggested that they may eventually do away with the actual physical currency that we now use. I have my doubts about that, but who knows? If you want more information, Google "Bitcoins" or check out the Bitcoin Wiki.
Since we had a discount coupon, we had dinner again at Dapur. The noise level was considerably lower than during the weekend. We both had the Coco Shrimp (How do they make the shrimp straight? I've never seen anything but curved shrimp till now.) And for our main course, we had the Crispy Duck. The waitress gave us each a coupon to use the next time we dine there, so I guess we will be returning.
Saturday evening, we ate at Sage. It used to be our favorite local French restaurant, but a lot of changes seem to have been made and we're not at all sure it is a French restaurant any longer. For openers, the sign in front that declares it a French/American restaurant no longer lights up the 'French' part. Okay, so I checked it out on Google, and they're still calling themselves French. There does however seem to be a new owner/chef. Also, previously, they would not take reservations unless you had a party of six or more. Now, they'll accept reservations for even just two people. One thing I discovered that I really like: there were two items on the menu that were similar but different. I ordered my meal prepared like the other and the waiter didn't even try to talk me out of it. It was delicious!
We went to another retirement party this weekend. This time it was for a friend who had been with the library system for thirty-five years. Mamie Harvard Flakes was a receptionist at the Main Library for many, many years. No one entered Main without checking in with Mamie because she knew everyone and what everyone was doing. She was a main source of news (gossip). She was also a bit of a tipster and was sent home on more than one occasion because she tipped a bit too much. The last Director of the Library, Bob Cannon, tried to fire her, but the powers that be in the county would not let him do it, which of course, got everyone to speculating what she knew about them. I, as well as most everyone else, really liked her. After her years at Main, she held the same title at the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center She probably nipped a bit the night of her retirement party, because she spent almost the entire time dancing. And I have to say, she is quite the mover.
If you were ever even mildly interested in the "Bible", you may have done a little research during which you would have discovered rather quickly, that every story in that book was being circulated thousands of years before it was even conceived, much less "written", talk about plagiarism! And yet, there are people, including the clergy, who insist their particular version is the REAL word of "God". It brings to mind the phrase, "none so blind as those who will not see". But when it comes to church people, especially those in the upper echelons, one has to wonder about their agenda. They have to know the truth and yet they still expound this phony philosophy to those who are silly enough to believe. Are they doing it for the power or the money? Make no mistake, religion is one of the greatest money-making ideas that ever came down the pike. But, aside from the millions of dollars involved, religion has always been about power and control, and never more so than after the Romans declared "Christianity" was "the religion" of the Empire. It was that move by Roman Emperor Constantine, that actually saved "Christianity" which was pretty much on it's way to oblivion. If it was real, wouldn't we all be Roman Catholics? But every once in a while, someone decides they know "the truth", and a new religion is born. Thus, all the off-shoots; Protestantism, Lutheranism, Mormonism, Islam, ad infinitum. One would think an intelligent person would ask what's going on, but then, an intelligent person wouldn't rush to the latest religious fad.
I saw this headline: "Chavez laid to rest after final Caracas tour", and misread it as "Chavez laid to rest after final carcass tour"!
Dinner this week at Dapur. It was incredibly noisy. We have another discount ticket, so we may go again, but it certainly won't be on the weekend. The food is really good, but I can't see us putting up with the noise level. So if it's bad the next time, I think that will be our last.
I started a petition to the President of the United States (or POTUS as the Twitterverse has taken to calling him {and it's FLOTUS for the First Lady}) asking for a full pardon for PFC Bradley Manning. You can find it here: http://tiny.cc/xjontw You do not have to be a citizen of the US to sign it. I assume that no matter where you live, you are familiar with this case. If not, just google Bradley Manning. This cause has taken on an international tone. People from just about every part of the globe are joining in requesting that he be pardoned. On top of all that, he has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize! I sincerely hope he gets it.
Dinner this week at Thai Spice. We started with Mee Krob which I love. Our main course was Siam Duck. There was so much, neither of us could finish it. So we had another meal with it a few days later.
Friday evening, we had dinner at the Rainbow Palace. We started with Sesame Scallops Grand Marnier - Jumbo sea scallops dusted with water chestnut flour, wok fried, then sauteed in a Grand Marnier sauce with sesame seeds. If you think it 'sounds' good, you should have tasted it. Fantastic! For our main course, we both had the fish special of the day, Yellowtail Snapper. Again, delicious! We love the Rainbow Palace because the food is always great and, although it's a bit pricey, the ambience is what you would expect in a place where all the waiters wear tuxedos. Some of the waiters didn't wear the jacket and I asked one about that. He explained that depending on how they're dressed, their duties differ. The guys in the jackets have to go into the kitchen to request and later pick up the orders, which he said was not so great because of the high heat. The white shirted guys, bring the food to the tables where the guys in jackets prepare and serve it.
I was sick all day Tuesday. Not the 'I've got a cold' or 'my stomach's upset' kind of sick, but a weird kind of sick. It started with a case of the 'vapors'. Okay, that's kind of a joke. If you've ever seen any movies from the forties or early fifties, you may remember that when the 'society matrons' called the doctor, he always told them they had the 'vapors' instead of telling them they had 'gas'. But I definitely had it. After brushing my teeth, I went in to prepare my morning half-cup of coffee. I had barely poured the milk into the cup, when I felt really nauseous. I dashed in and flung myself upon the bed, where I was attacked by a case of the dry heaves. I no sooner finished with that then the chills arrived and I was freezing. A short while after that started, my hips (both of them) became quite painful. This went on all day. I finally got the idea to take a couple of Advil for the hip pain and it seemed to work after a while. By midnight, the dry heaves had stopped (I finally threw up), the chills were gone and the hip pain was gone and I managed to have my usual quirky night of sleep. I have no idea what happened to me or why. It was very strange.
A new place named the Village Pub opened on the Drive, Robb and I decided to give it a try on Friday night. We parked in the Alibi parking lot across the street, and as soon as we got out of the car, we could hear the thumping of the music. We could only imagine how loud it must be inside the place. We got there around midnight and the place was packed and we were right about the loudness of the music. There was no way you could hold a conversation. It was a very mixed crowd, ranging in age from what seemed like late teens to our age and beyond, and both men and women, though I don't think there were any straight people there. Robb got us both a margarita. The drinks were large but not that good. After about an hour we were so bored, we left half our drinks and went home. Does this mean we're getting old or was the Village Pub just boring? Maybe we'll go to the Manor next time. We had a pretty good time there last time we went out.
Dinner at Bona's Italian. Robb had the Eggplant Rollatini and I had the Jumbo Shrimp and Scallop Scampi. Both were good although the Shrimp/Scallop dish had a taste with which I was not familiar and took a few minutes to get used to.
For the past two weeks or so, our neighbor Dave (across the hall) has been having work done on his kitchen. Unless you lived here, you would not believe how noise travels through this building. Even work being done on another floor (we live on the top floor) sounds like it is in our apartment. And it seems like there is always something being drilled, hammered or sawed. It's a lot like living in a construction area. But why do they always have to make the most noise first thing in the morning? When he first told us he was having it done, he said he was replacing the counter tops (ceramic tile) with granite, but apparently he had a lot more done. It shouldn't take two weeks to replace a counter top. He invited us over to see his "new" kitchen the other night. The contractors did a really good job. The granite is kind of a bronze color. And he has a new back splash which looks like metal bricks which looks really nice when the under-counter lights are on. Very pretty. Hopefully, no one else will start a project for a while and we can actually get some sleep in the morning.
It has been quite chilly here for the past few weeks. I don't like it.
Dumb Law of the Week: In Louisiana, biting someone with your natural teeth is "simple assault," while biting someone with your false teeth is "aggravated assault."
I saw this on Twitter: Will Benedict XVI still be infallible when he's no longer pope? I immediately thought how amusing that could be. Obviously, after much pomp and circumstance, there will be a new Pope. He will be "infallible" as all Popes are so considered. If Benedict remains infallible, what happens if he and the new Pope disagree? Can they even disagree if both are infallible? Who is more infallible, Benedict or the new Pope? The more one thinks about it, the more amusing it becomes.
"Mac users were taken by surprise Thursday as their computers stopped running programs written using the Java programming language after Apple blocked Java due to security problems." Don't you just love having a computer over which you have no control? As far as I'm concerned, this is the MAJOR problem with Apple and ALL their products! It is also the number one reason I will NEVER own an Apple product. My computer is MINE and no one is going to tell me what I can or cannot do with it!
If you use lemon or orange zest when cooking, you may be interested in learning about citrus oils. They conveniently come in bottles and last a very long time. I learned of them through David Lebovitz and have been using them ever since. David is a renowned American pastry chef who currently lives in Paris. He writes books and occasionally returns to the US for book signings. As David points out in his blog, they're definitely better than a fridge full of zested and dried out fruit. That was the main reason I started using them, and I haven't been disappointed. If you're interested, you can check out their website and order online.
We've had some bad luck with restaurants the last couple of times we went out. Week before last we went to Cafe Seville where we had the Tilapia special. Very fishy tasting and not what I expected. We like the Cafe Seville because the people there are really great, and the decor is so Spanish. But the food seems to have gone downhill. This past Wednesday, we went to Tropics, to which we haven't been in a very long time. It was Prime Rib night, so that's what we had. I don't know what cut of meat they served, but it definitely was not prime rib. I used to eat prime rib almost exclusively and I know how a real prime rib looks and tastes. This was not it.
I dream every night. Several times per night. I don't always remember all the dreams, but I do frequently remember one or two. The one thing I like most about my dreams, is that in them, I'm still able to do all the things I used to be able to do with no breathing problems. That results in me not wanting to wake up and get out of bed where I'm forced to cope with the reality of being a virtual invalide. Another thing that I find curious about dreams is how really nonsensical stuff seems perfectly logical when being dreamed. Things like having a conversation with animals, or you start out walking someplace and then suddenly you're in a car, an airplane, a train or a boat. Last night I had a dream about people buying up all of one brand of coffee (I'm not even sure the brand exists...White House coffee?) because they could sell it and make money. Then near the end of the dream it turned out to be untrue and everybody was trying to get their money back.
Dumb Law of the Week: In Indiana, it is illegal for citizens to attend a movie house or theater, nor ride in a public streetcar within at least four hours after eating garlic.
For some reason, I seem to have fallen into a period in which I'm destined to get very little sleep at night, which results in my sleeping a lot during the afternoon. I say a lot, but it's really only an hour to an hour and a half. That's about as long as I manage to stay asleep at night. Last night wasn't too bad, but Saturday night I had the most god-awful bout of indigestion, another thing that seems to be occurring more and more often. I may have to look into the cause of that one day. Saturday night, I had a bad bad sinus headache. I understand that and know that it's caused by the quickly changing weather. Normally, I go to bed between 02h00 and 04h00. I guess I really am a "night person". Even at three or four in the morning, I have to force myself to go to bed. I most usually have no trouble falling asleep. My problem is staying asleep. A doctor once sent me to be tested for sleep apnea. It was a very uncomfortable night. The place was way too cold even though I was wearing sweat pants, a T-shirt and heavy socks. I barely slept at all, but somehow they determined that I was not suffering from sleep apnea. I suspect they were probably wrong, but what do I know? Hopefully, this sleeplessness will go its course, and I'll get back to my usual two hours sleep, awake, an hour of sleep, awake...until I finally wake up for the day usually somewhere between noon and 15h00. In other words, a normal night for me.
We went back to Alexander's because Robb wanted to get the steak dish I had last time, which was so very good. He ordered Steak Brazzos and I ordered Filet Mignon with Béarnaise Sauce. He said the Steak Brazzos was not as good as when I had it, and I could see that it did not look the same, neither did it have as much potato as when I had it. The Filet Mignon was marginally better when eaten with the Béarnaise Sauce, but not much. The baked potato was fantastic! For dessert, I had Key Lime Pie. It's not likely we'll go back.
Speaking of stupid laws: an 1872 California law says a suspect is only guilty of rape if the victim is married and the attacker is pretending to be the spouse. A California appeals court has overturned the rape conviction of a man accused of sneaking into an 18-year-old woman’s bedroom and having sex with her while pretending to be her boyfriend. The decision turned on a crucial fact: she wasn’t married and the accused, Julio Morales, pretended to be her boyfriend.
I was watching the first episode of the first season of Ancient Aliens. I was loving it, it seemed so full of fantastic information and ideas. Then I made the mistake of checking one of the ideas that was presented and I came across an article that completely turned me around. Almost every "fact" presented in the show was either deliberately misleading or a total lie, starting with the statement that many of the buildings and objects were made from granite! In fact, most of the things they showed were made from red sandstone, which is durable, but no where near as hard as granite. Some of the things they showed, like the possible models of aircraft, could be real, but now I'm not sure. I am so disappointed. I was really looking forward to watching the whole five seasons. I can't imagine the hosts, writers, producers and editors could compromise themselves so blatantly for a few dollars. Even if the theories put forth were true, the show raised the question I would most like to ask the aliens and god, if he actually existed: WHY? Why would you travel all those light years across space to help a bunch of aborigines, and then just disappear forever? In the case of god, who is supposed to be all-knowing, why present yourself to man in such a backward time and then just disappear forever? Then, just to make matters really confusing, it turns out the debunker of Ancient Aliens is a christian nut who believes the bible contains the truth, whole truth and nothing but the truth. Thankfully, the internet is a nearly endless source of information (as confusing as it can be sometimes), and with determined searching and questioning, one can find the answers they seek. I may continue to watch Ancient Aliens just for the fun of it!
Every year at Christmas, our neighbor a couple houses down the street, puts out their Christmas Pig display. I've been meaning to get a photo for a long time. This year, I finally got around to it. Here, also, is a photo of our Christmas tree this year.
Thursday evening we went to the retirement party of our friend Tanya (that's her in the middle). She had been with the Library for thirty-five years. A lot of people didn't realize how accomplished she is and how many things at the library with which she was involved in a major way. It was a really nice party and we got to see a bunch of people we haven't seen in years.
We seem to be on a quest to find new restaurants this year. Saturday evening, we went to another new one which was recommended by our neighbor Dave. Dapur bills itself as an Asian Tapas restaurant. We were seated directly in front of the golden Buddha. The food was excellent, especially the dessert, but the noise level not so much. We shared Dapur Duck, Coco Shrimp, Bang Bang Scallops, and Calamari (unfortunately they had two kinds of calamari and we ordered the wrong one). Dessert was called Dark Volcano. It was a rich chocolate soft-centered cake with a small dish of vanilla ice cream, and it was was super delicious! And of course, a bottle of Pinot Grigio. While eating our dessert, the owner stopped by for a short chat. We learned that he used to own Galanga, another of our favorite restaurants.
Dumb Law of the Week: In LA, a man may legally beat his wife with a leather strap, as long as it is less than 2 inches wide, or she gives him permission to use a wider strap.
I assume everyone survived the 21 December debacle. It's creepy and scary how many people actually believed the world was going to end, or some other equally ridiculous scenario. Is it any wonder the nut jobs who come up with strange religions (well, stranger than usual since they're all rather strange) can find so many ignorant people to follow them?
We've had our Fiat 500 for about a year now. Last week, Robb washed it for the very first time. To our great surprise, the paint started peeling from the roof section just above the windshield. Robb called the dealer from whom we bought it and arranged to bring it in to be looked at. The guy (Juan) at the dealer was very nice and took a bunch of pictures to send to Fiat. Then we went back on Tuesday to leave it to be re-painted. They gave us a loaner and we picked up our car on Wednesday. I don't think we'll ever buy another car from this dealer. Not because they're bad, but just because it's so far to drive if anything goes wrong.
Saturday evening, we tried another new (to us) restaurant. J. Marks. The food was great and our waiter, Exorios (yes, that's really his name), was as personable and charming as a person could be. He spent a lot of time at our table chatting, even though he had several other tables to service. Robb and I both had the special, Sea Bass with French Fried Sweet Potatoes. We drank a Pinot Gris recommended by Exorios.
For a little over a week now, new windows and sliding doors are being installed in each of the apartments in our building (they other two buildings were already done) that hadn't already done so on their own. Those of us who have already replaced our doors and/or windows, will receive compensation in the form of our monthly maintenance bill being paid until the appropriate amount has been reached. That will mean most of us will not make a maintenance payment in the year 2013. During the time they were working in the other two buildings, I never heard a sound. For the past two weeks or so, it has been hell in our apartment because of the noise level. I fear we still have about a week to go. A large part of the problem with the noise is that they start at 08h00 every weekday morning.
Friday night we decided to try a new restaurant. New to us since it has been there longer than we have lived in this apartment. J. Alexander's is a very nice place. It is known for its steaks, and since we rarely ever eat steak, we hadn't tried it. Robb had fish, which he said he didn't like very much. I had what they called "Steak Brazzo"...filet mignon pieces in a fantastic Madeira mushroom sauce. They were served with a mountain of "smashed potatoes". And I do mean a mountain. I loved my dinner. For desert, we shared a large portion of carrot cake. Robb drank Pinot Grigio, I drank Côtes du Rhône.
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Dumb Law of the Week: In Richmond,Virginia, it is illegal to flip a coin in any eating establishment to determine who buys a cup of coffee.
À la prochaine, mes amis.
