Monday, June 30, 2003
am listening to opera at work.
puccini.
turandot.
nessun dorma.
over and over.
for the love of god.
somebody find me an ice princess.
Bourbon and Bon Vivants
and other stuff your Daddy should have taught you....
puccini.
turandot.
nessun dorma.
over and over.
for the love of god.
somebody find me an ice princess.
Sunday, June 29, 2003
off to rhode island yesterday
in a fabulous mustang convertible
(my kingdom for a shaved head)
it was scotch buying day for the club of six
sadly, they did not close the store in honor of us being there
but we managed. somehow.
they even gave me the key to the rare single malt cabinet
ME.
if they had only known.
found what i would consider to be the holy grail of scotch
Ardbeg Provenance from 1974
thought by some to be one of the finest whisky's produced.
and we now own one
wowage.
then to dinner at friends
they'd just painted the bathroom pink.
tried to call it coral, but we all know it's pink.
opened up the 16yr old AH Hirsch
with it's nose of orange rind and walnut,
added a drop of water and the walnut receded and a burnt caramel came forward
had a palate of nougat and a long happy finish of toffee, leather and coffee
paired that baby with ricotta cannoli's and we were a happy group
but it could have just been the thought of the Ardbeg being so close by
Saturday, June 28, 2003
dinner last night at Dish on the corner of Tremont and somewhere in the south end.
quite the place to see
and be seen
didn't eat outside, still seemed a bit muggy
but then again, it was muggy inside too
artichoke pizza with caramelized onions and gruyere
and a rather nice italian wine that while the waither described as "crisp"
was really more of the "not oaky" variety
the best pairing of the evening was from my salad
that had shavings of what I believe was a farmhouse cheddar
(don't hold me to that)
and pecans
had i only had a wee bit of honey, it would have been a perfect harmony
honey as the mezzo
pino grigio the alto
montgomery farmhouse cheddar singing tenor
lightly, ever so lightly, roasted pecans baritone
that, my friends, is perfect harmony
like Durufle's Ubi caritas
simple
but stunning
Thursday, June 26, 2003
my god..it's actually too hot to blog
i think my computer keyboard has melted.
i can't seem to type the letter
and there you have it.
i'm going out to find me a nice bourbon glass
and fill it with ice
and a soothing amount of amber liquid
and, if i'm lucky, run a lemon rind around the lip of the glass
just to be sassy.
and then i won't care if it's hot inside
or the glass melts
or whether or not there ever were weapons of mass destruction anywhere in iraq after the 1990's.
sigh.
Wednesday, June 25, 2003
ooooo...sugar crash......
oooooooooooooooooo
ouch.
ok. no more krispy kreme's for me.
although i did get the chance to take a bite out of every kind they sell.
1 bite.
no more.
ok. 2 bites from the one with french creme.
(that's the white cream, not the boston creme aka pudding)
fine. i ate the whole damn thing.
but who's gonna stop me?
yeah?
you and what army?
mustn't pass out.
must get back onto couch.
i think tonight i should have something healthy for dinner.
pizza, perhaps.
oh come ON..after krispy kreme's anything is healthy.
it's all relative.
and i'll have you know, i not only found a wine to pair with the krispy kremes
but there are one or 2 bourbon's that i would add in there as well
oh no. i'm not telling. not after that crack about the french creme.
Tuesday, June 24, 2003
9:12 PM back from medford and the krispy kreme scene
and what a scene it was
line out the door, across the parking lot
over the hill and through the dale
(do we know what a dale is? anyone? anyone?)
no matter
i'm so sugared up i don't really care
the regular ones were coming off the line and going directly into cartons
mmmmm....hot donuts.
now if you will excuse me, i'll be under the desk in a sugar coma
today is the day of the kreme
i'm thinking of going over for lunch
and possibly dinner
Oh dear god.
I just struck scotch gold!
There is a liquor store outside in east Providence.
Not more than an hour away from where I'm sitting.
That not only has the Glenmorangie Claret wood IN STOCK for $266.
But also the AH Hirsh 20 yr old bourbon for $130.
Apparently the guy is a collector.
AND he owns a liquor store.
Anybody up for a road trip?
Monday, June 23, 2003
another rainy day and monday...
somewhere karen carpenter is all fat & happy and laughing at us
krispy kreme opens tomorrow.
krispy kreme
krispy kreme
krispy kreme
who's with me?
Sunday, June 22, 2003
went to the 3rd annual pig roast & charity raffle last night
before heading off to 2-step with the gays for pasty.
wore my red snakeskin cowboy boots.
and managed to get my knee brace on under my jeans.
let's just say i was all that and a side of slaw.
the pig pull was amazing
friends of friends of friends and their younger brother who roasted a pig on a spit in his back yard.
yowza.
thank god i had on my boots (see above)
dancing was grand. who knew i'd love to 2-step?
still taking it easy because of my knee, but there was a fair amount of giggling
and a good time was had by all
well, except for that poor woman that i accidently stepped on with my size 42 boots
my fault. completely.
got the new harry potter book.
actually thought about going out at midnight on the 21st to get it
but who was i kidding?
1) i don't like kids..i mean, they are nice in a lite butter and wine sauce, but that late in the day i'd have indigestion
2) i haven't wanted to dress up in a cloak since i was about 15 and into my wicca-ness
3) ok..not exactly true, my wicca-ness usually comes out on tuesday nights when buffy the vampire slayer is on. that willow is a totally righteous red-head.
4) i've already had to wear glasses with tape on them. it was my first year of college. i had black horn rimmed glasses. i thought it was some sort to chic-retro cool thing. actually it was just nerdy. especially when someone sat on them. and i didn't have money to get them fixed. and, i'm not making this up here, my roommate put tape on the side to hold them together. to be fair, we did use a black sharpie to try to hide the colour of the tape. i didn't say this was going to be pretty. i'm just retelling the story. therapy has helped some.
Saturday, June 21, 2003
was asked by a reader if i ever eat at home.
and in fact i do, but who wants to read about that?
i eat a goodly amount of lemon zest luna bars
and am currently enjoying a chocolate fudge lite think thin low carb bar
but let's be real, unless this is paired with a grotta rossa 2000 ....
i'm kidding...
please hold..the dogs are making the sorts of noises that says..
uh-oh...i just bit off my own ear
i'm back.
all ears firmly attached to the correct dog
amazing what a good stapler and duct tape can accomplish
ate at anchovies on columbus last evening
it's been years since i've been there.
right next to charlies (they make wonderful chocolate chip and banana pancakes)
then went over to club cafe for dessert.
club cafe. 2 nights in a row. ick.
i feel like i need to wash.
today is a mixture of tag sales
vet visits
pig roasts
greek festivals
line dancing
and naps
probably not in that order.
Friday, June 20, 2003
dinner last night at franklin cafe on shawmut
i had the bakers 107 neat and a side of mashed potatoes
decided there was a great need for chinese doughnuts
so walked into chinatown
(and just try to find an open bakery at 8pm on a thursday)
came back by the whiskey bar at the park plaza
but the smell of clove cigarettes was too overpowering
had a makers mark at club half gay (club cafe to you)
and read the news
Thursday, June 19, 2003
well..just when i thought there wasn't any more room in my life for another dog
i went to the french bulldog rescue site
(i was just browsing, honest)
and came across these pups in need.
i do not understand people who abuse children or animals
so i'm going up to new hampshire to deliver 40 lbs of science diet dog food
and anything else i can scrounge together for these puppies
if anybody wants to go, or whatever...just let me know
is it possible that the city boston moved to seattle and nobody told us?
for the love of god...when will the cloudiness end?
oh, and the weather sucks too.
you know it's going to be a good day when you spend the morning under you desk
cleaning out old files
munching on a dunkin donuts sausage egg bagel (toasted) with a very light medium coffee
ZING!
and you discover that your rubber bands can be transformed into the shapes of little animals.
way cool.
but that could just be all the caffine.
who wants to go play squash?
anyone? anyone?
Wednesday, June 18, 2003
dinner at a dive in the south end last night
delux.
i always thought it was a men's leather bar.
seriously.
it's not the sort of place we nice decent southern lesbians often poke our heads into
just to see if the restrooms come in 2 flavours
turns out, it's just a dive. and not a bad one. strange. funky. with incredibly cheap drinks.
the best bourbon in the house (which isn't really saying much) was $5
and i sure the bartender only charged that because no one had ordered it in so long, she had no idea what to charge
ran into gordon hammersley walking his dog.
still wearing his chef whites.
gordon, not the setter puppy.
we chatted. i gushed. the puppy piddled.
all around not much worse than expected.
Tuesday, June 17, 2003
still thinking about the american-french summer cheese class from sunday
robert chose 4 french cheeses and compared them to their american counterparts
it's amazing how different the same cheese tastes just based on the breed of animal
and the grass they eat
the lightest cheese we tried was the Tomme de Savoie fermier
the american counterpart is the Putney Tomme from some jersey cows in vermont.
the french version has so many layers in its flavour, it's incredibly creamy
the vermont version was good, with it's butteriness and a bit of tang (the spicy comes as it ages)
but it was a bit one dimensional.
it definitely needs a wine to pair with it
cabble selected a fine Calera El Nino chardonnay out of Hollister, CA to match the putney tomme
but i really liked the Savary Chablis chardonnay from Maligny with the Tomme de Savoie
Monday, June 16, 2003
off to the library.
i love going to a new library.
all those books.
just there for the asking.
monday is the day for putting together the little mini-cooper cutouts from the new yorker magazine insert.
and i tell you, if you can't have the real thing
well it's best to not put the freakin' cutouts together
'cuz they just make you want one...
Sunday, June 15, 2003
10:00 dim sum at chau chow city. yum. so much food.
so little time. 43 minutes in fact. from entering to exit.
including a silky tofu with ginger simple syrup.
4:30 cheese class at formaggio kitchen with robert and cabble.
the humboldt fog goat milk from california paired with Edmunds St. Johns Rocks and Gravel Blend from paso robles, california..the rhone rangers (ask cabble)
it's an unfiltered blend. about $23 bottle.
the humboldt is the perfect dessert cheese paired with black figs.
but my favourite was the Roves de Garrigues from provence. (also a goat cheese, but without the ash running through it)
dear god, it was wonderful. earthy. gamey. becomes more salty as it loses moisture
it's creamy at 1 month, spicy at 2 months.
we tasted it just after 2 months in the cave.
peppery. Cabble paired it with a Montirius Gigondas blend (Cotes du Rhone)
but i felt it went best with Pappy Van Winkle 20 yr old bourbon
felt so strongly, that i went home and got the pappy's for the boys to taste.
for after dessert (not to be confused with dessert)
i suggest the roquefort carles, a raw sheeps milk cheese from roquefort-sur-soulzon)
paired with either a Chateau Robin (cabernet sauvingnon 80% merlot 20%) from castillion, bordeaux
or the Heron cabernet from california
or even the Salturn dessert wine, but only serve this if you don't have honey
Saturday, June 14, 2003
off to pride. it's waaaay to early to have pride at noon.
i mean really. noon is like 6AM in hawaii.
amazingly, the boston pride parade was really good.
word on the street was "they" were filming the whole thing.
i do wonder who "they" are
and i hoped my hair looked okay.
there were a goodly number of people throwing beads.
and being the bead slut that i am, i knocked small children out of the way to get to them.
i even picked up beads that were thrown into a puddle of water.
although, as with food on the floor, the 10 second rule was in effect
(meaning i picked up the beads within 10 seconds of hitting the ground/puddle)
lest you think i kept my beads and ended up looking like...well...a bead lady
i give away the beads i catch.
it's the thrill of the catch.
not the gaudiness of the acquisition.
and once again i failed to get onto the back of a bike from moving violations
(dykes on bikes to the rest of us)
but don't ever let them hear you say that.
you DO NOT want any lesbian that can operate a large harley to become cranky
every year i say..i'm getting on the back of the bike and i'm gonna look like a biker chick
and since this was the weekend of "the thong", i gave myself pretty good marks to carry out the plan
i even knew a couple of the women riding
but alas, i was passed by
perhaps if i'd shown more thong...
or any.
Thursday, June 12, 2003
first day without the thong. i feel so non-exposed.
so proper. so prim.
so tired from the red sox game last night.
this says to me....
nap time.
Wednesday, June 11, 2003
7 AM - thong alert. it's on. and i'm feelin' fly.
8 AM - first hour not too bad. although walking was an adventure. i may need to go have a smoke.
9 AM - bathroom trip ok but still feel like i'm not wearing underwear. also, got my first readers response to the thong episode. you read me...you really read me (best said while clutching an oscar statue and delivered in a sally field voice)
10 AM - one forgets about the wedgie after a while.
2 PM - still going strong
7:05 PM - red sox game. feel like the whole world is my friend. although, that could just be the 2 beers
8 PM, 8:15 PM, 8:45 PM, etc. - more bathroom trips....at fenway mind you...i'm not old enough to be here
11 PM - first day complete. thong folded nicely into an origami swan and place in laundry basket. i'm sold. let's hope victoria's secret still has my size. mind the stampede.
Tuesday, June 10, 2003
there was grilled alaskan sockeyed salmon for dinner
with grilled peaches drizzled in a maple balsamic vinegar. yum.
but what wine to pair with it all?
I never did get a wine paired with the sockeyed salmon. As it turned out, the conversation turned to underwear (as it so often does) and the fact that victoria’s secret was having some huge sale. And so off we went. I don’t know what it is about women and an underwear sale. The place was a madhouse. It looked like a casting call for The Bachelorette. I also don’t know why a thong, which is basically left over scrap fabric from making real underwear, is more expensive than the standard bikini panties.
Okay, now there is a word I truly dislike…panties. Who thought that was a good word? Maybe it’s a lesbian thing. Or maybe it’s just the icky feeling I get when someone uses the word tummy. Another mildly disturbing word. No matter.
So there I am in Victoria’s Secret. A dyke among divas, when I am told that I definitely need to buy a pair of lo-rise stretch cotton lavender thong panties to go with my new pair of low rise jcrew boyfriend jeans. After all, the thong was on sale. Now, one must realize, I’m not the sort of girl to ever go for a thong. I’m really more the calvin klein cotton briefs sort of gal. They are darn comfy, and sexy as all hell. Or at least to me. I suppose a thong could be sexy too, if you were into that sort of thing.
Which apparently I am now. Because I’m the proud owner of a thong. This should be interesting. I was told once you wear a thong, you’ll never go back. I’ll keep you updated.
Monday, June 09, 2003
tonight dinner will be a
Brebis Ossau Reserve paired with Domaine du Poujol Proteus 2001 merlot.
the brebis ossau reserve is a hard raw sheeps milk cheese from ossau-iraty, france. (French Pyrenees...Basque region)
it has a smooth nutty flavour that is usually paired with a spicy red wine
and so, with a very plumy domaine du poujol merlot, syrah & mourvedure from herault, poujol, france, we shall pair.
frankly, i can't remember if i like this pairing or not.
this may be the one of the few times i think the wine overpowers the cheese.
therefore serve the cheese on a plate with a thin layer of honey underneath the wedge.
i love honey and cheese.
especially on a thick piece of country bread.
and the cheese is melted on the bread in an oven
then you drizzle the honey on top.
but again. please. for the love of all that is holy.
don't use cheap honey.
it's like putting ice in a martini.
there isn't anything really tragic about it
but it sure as hell isn't a martini
i may have just mixed my metaphors there, but let's just call it food license and move on..
if you are having a cheese from france
at least try to stick with a honey from the same region
after all, the cow/sheep/goat are eating from the same meadowland as the bee's that collect nectar
i'm off to decant...
and now i'm back. forget the merlot.
have the Brebis Ossau Reserve with Sazerac Rye 18-Year-Old
wow.
Sunday, June 08, 2003
and...we're back.
from Ogunquit Maine...established 1980.
i kid you not. who establishes a town in 1980?
Ogunquit is a town filled with stuff you never knew you needed.
Came across these wonderful candle snuffers at one particular store.
Reminded me of a story from growing up (in scenic Arkansas, mind you)
My mother gave as a wedding present to a young couple a very nice sterling candle snuffer.
About a week later she received the following thank-you note…
Dear Mrs. C,
Thank you so much for the petite gravy ladle.
I’m sure we will always treasure it.
Sincerely,
Sue D'Nimme
I can’t remember the poor girls name, which is probably for the best.
Anyway, I can only imagine her pulling out the petite gravy ladle every thanksgiving and proudly putting it next to her gravy boat, while the candles burn madly out of control.
Thursday, June 05, 2003
Reminder that tonight is the Glenlivet scotch tasting at the Harvard Club at 7pm.
directions and parking:
http://www.harvardclub.com/site/content/about/directions.asp
MAIN CLUBHOUSE
374 Commonwealth Avenue
I don't know if we can park behind the clubhouse as the members do, but give it the old college try.
Just remember, today is harvard commencement so the place might be a wee bit crazed.
If you take the T, you'll want to Green line to Auditorium/Hynes Convention Center and walk over to Comm Ave and make a left.
So the Harvard Club hosted the Glenlivet scotch tasting.
Not a bad gig for the price.
(it was free) Good times, baby, good times.
Thankfully, there was light dinner at Sonsie beforehand, lest we all perish from consumption. I had a Ruby Manhattan made with Maker’s Mark bourbon and port. Not too shabby. I felt it was important to stick with amber liquids for the evening. Nothing clear. That water will kill you if you mix spirits.
Ahem.
Anyhoo. The Harvard Club was nice, but cavernous. I much prefer the Algonquin Club, but then, who asked me?
We sampled 4 different scotches from The Glenlivet distillery stable, the 12 yr old, the 12 yr old French Oak, the 18 yr old, and the 21 yr old Archive. A good time was had by all.
Wednesday, June 04, 2003
Last night there was a grand search for scotch and bourbon. Oh, the excitement. The grandeur.
In wandering down by Blanchards in Allston (the ideal time to go, after the students have left for the summer)
I found a bottle of Rock Hill bourbon in the locked case. $42.
a very good price. Very tempting, but I resisted for the time being.
Then I noticed in the scotch case a Glenmorangie Côte de Nuits 1970.
Not to be confused with the Glenmorangie Claret wood finish.
At $270 I am very fascinated with the Glenmorangie Côte de Nuits, but might need to have my head examined.
They also had a Glenmorangie 1971, but that didn’t seem quite as alluring as the Côte de Nuits.
Just to be social I purchased wee bottles of the Glenmorangie 12yr Madeira Wood Finish, Port Wood Finish, and Sherry Wood Finish
(all around $40) just to compare.
Pity I don’t have the Claret wood, but one day, after I win the lottery, I’m sure that will be rectified.
Tuesday, June 03, 2003
had pt this morning. i really dislike pt. it's not that i'm just being lazy.
or it's not that i'm JUST being lazy.
but i also don't like that i must pay for someone to tell me to do 2 sets of squats
then watch me huff and puff on the stairmaster for 5 minutes at a time.
frankly, i could do that in the privacy of my own home.
not that i do. but i could.
not sure what i should have for dinner tonight.
but i think i should include a pear sidecar.
the only one i've found is at copacafe in lexington center.
va va voom.
but what cheese to pair with it (no pun intended, merely implied)
something in a goat's milk, preferably from savoie, france.
la tarentaise perhaps?
so fresh. so grassy. so darn tasty.
although, it’s getting a bit late after the first milking for it to still be firm. (sigh)
what to do? what to do?
woe be unto me.
Monday, June 02, 2003
ah. monday morning.
we're back from denver.
wonderful trip. great to see the old college gang.
no one seemed the worse for wear.
found a fabulous pub in denver. Pints Pub.
they had over 200 scotches. including the Glenmorangie claret wood finish.
although at $75 a shot, i chose to forego consumption.
i did try the Balbair 10 yr old. it had a very nice pear nose, and a clove finish.
tried a Mannochmore 12 yr old, but didn't really care for it's flowery-ness.
i tried to stay within the highlands for the tasting, although i did venture over to speyside now and again.
ate lunch at my favourite indian restaurant, Kashish in belmont center.
had the masala dosa. again, my favourite.
order it medium, otherwise you'll be overrun with hot chili's.
and it won't be pretty.
trust me on this.
tomorrow: amanda's new glasses, due to an unfortunate hotel accident involving a table lamp and a nightstand.