needing a fix

coffee is good.

i started young. . . fond memories of my grandmother mixing up taster's choice instant coffee, stirring in heaping portions of creamer and sugar, and pouring it into a tall heavy glass. my brother and i each got our own glasses. rich and sweet- my grandmother's coffee was dessert like and i was hooked.

in high school, my parents would buy big tins of foldgers or maxwells from costco. then i met yoswa who introduced me to my first cappuchino at a local italian restaurant- this was during a time before starbucks had infilatrated all the suburbs. in college, i went through a flavored coffee phase- vanilla, cinnamon, hazelnut, you name it, i loved it. with splenda and creamer. several mugs of coffee a day kept me going on 4 hours of sleep and maintaining a frantic schedule of extracurricular activities, social outings with friends, and heavy school loads.

trips to italy and france refined my tastebuds and i learned to appreciate a well made espresso or a simple cafe creme. a nice weekend morning involved breaking fast and sharing pressed coffee. when i moved to new york, i switched from a drip coffee maker to a stove top bialetti which makes a fine cup of coffee with a bit of crema.

over the years, i've cut my intake dramatically (not counting a surge during grad school) and have a couple cups in the morning. my morning coffee is one of the things i look forward to in the mornings. there's nothing like the feeling of slowing become more alert, more me, as the caffeine starts to work it's magic.

this morning, i arose well rested a little before 7AM. i shuffled over to my little cuisinart coffee maker and began to prepare my coffee. there was about a scoop and a half of coffee grains left in the bag. i mentally praised myself for thinking to buy a new bag of french roast coffee last weekend. i pull out the second bag and open it up to find. unground grains. and no coffee grinder. damn.

just rewards?

this was it. 8 weeks of training. the last two weeks have been a whirlwind of meeting with my team- scrambling to meet with various players in the company, brainstorming and developing a concept only to be redirected and start from scratch, obsessing over numbers and powerpoint presentations. it was finally time to deliver our business strategy to a panel of judges and an audience comprised of my training group peers, mentors, coaches and etc.

my group, group 3, was last to present. towards the end of the group 2's presentation, i could feel my cheeks starting to warm up, my throat was dry, and nervous energy spread throughout my body. i breathed deep, reminded myself that i had spent hours preparing and that i had memorized everything i wanted to say. sitting through the first two presentations was difficult, i was able to see the flaws in our analysis and foresaw the points that the judges would take issue with. the positive was that my group's approached the project from a completely different angle.

i was able to overcome my initial wave of nervousness and deliver my portion while minimally referring to my notes. the rest of my group fared well and the audience responded well. after a Q&A all the groups were excused from the rooms while the panel of judges deliberated with the audience to determine which group won.

in the end, my group won because our business plan and presentation entertained and intrigued. the prize was a free group lunch and the opportunity to present our plan to the CEO and President in two weeks time. the down side is that we will need to spend the next two weeks working overtime to improve and polish the project, taking time away from acclimating to our new positions, and stressing over giving another presentantion. the positive is a rare chance to make a good impression on the company's higher ups.

that evening, as i had shared celebratory drinks and appetizers with my training class at brother jimmy's, i reflected on the past 2 months. i realized how excited i was to finally begin this new phase in my career- my new boss is amazing, my job will be challenging, and i've met some quality people along the way.

best friends at work

according to gallop surveys, having a best friend at work contributes to one's overall job satisfaction. i was fortunate at my last job, to develop two such friendships- first with lori and then with ms mess. both are older, strong-willed, and independent women with children and diverse work histories. perhaps it is their wealth of wisdom and life experience that has naturally led each of them to adopt a maternal or sororal roles with me. as i settle into my new work environment with a younger peer group, i find myself feeling a little out of place, slightly anxious, and longing for the company of lori and ms mess.

i was therefore ecstatic when ms mess agreed to drive out to manhattan to dine with me easter night. over a glass of red wine, crusty italian bread, and an enormous meatball called meatloaf, we caught up on work gossip, relationships, and various life changes. as she does very well, ms mess beautifully put my insecurities and concerns in perspective. she reminded me of my own rule- that i aim to live by but had started to falter on- that is, the importance of being true to oneself and to live life on one's own terms and timeline. it was during that moment, that i felt especially fortunate to have friends that can dish it out, tell me when i'm being ridiculous, and laugh at my idiosyncrasies.

btw, the food was what comfort food should be- simple, tasty, and substantial- though, it's a toss up whehter frank really beats max's.

why this weekend rocked

-getting to be entirely self indulgent friday night ordering in food and watching the first four episodes of the tudors

-hearing my niece tell me that she loved her easter basket so much and could we get her more chocolate lollipops the next time she visits nyc?

-brunching and gossiping with the girls at alias in the LES

-UCLA Bruins rallying in the final seconds and beating texas AM

-satisfying my curiosity about the dramshop (parkslope) and oulu (williamsburg) and never needing to go there again (further description hopefully to follow)

-getting my first climbing lesson and exciting about learning the ropes

-the boy hooked the tellie up with some gadget so DVD viewing can commence on the tv rather than laptop and promptly watching "no country for old men"

-catching up with ms.mess over dinner at franks on east 5th st and 2nd ave

being a proper grown up

sunday morning i threw in a bunch of dirty laundry into my trusty washer/dryer unit only to watch in horror as water slowly but surely spilled out onto the kitchen floor. i grabbed some towels and spread them onto the ground to soak up the water, but the water kept on flowing. i turned off the machine and cleaned up the mess. once everything dried out, i pulled open the wooden board that covers the bottom of the machine. the way it's positioned, it's difficult to see much of anything.

i'm still hoping to catch one of the maintenance guys on my way to work to ask them to take a look at it. . . figure out if i need to pony up the monies for a new unit or if it's salvageable. . .in the meantime, i'm resorting to using a nearby laundry service, researching washing machines online, and praying that my tax returns will cover the expense.

i remember when my tax returns would go straight to buying new clothes or something frivolous.

at times like these, i feel all growed up.

the difficulty of being #1

"Market Table's burger comes with gorgonzola cheese, bacon, and caramelized onions, which are the holy trinity of burger toppings, as far as I'm concerned. The house-made roll has just a little bit of crunch on the outside, and it may be the best hamburger bun in New York at the moment."- Ed Levine

"At lunchtime the dining room is bright and airy, and the lunch-only burger ($12), a contender for New York's best,"- Gothamist

"Served at lunch only, the burger ($12) comes with the works-cheddar, caramelized onions, slices of pickle and a heap of golden fries, crunchy and hot, and sprinkled with salt. But the works are mere accessories to the stunning mound of meat that rests between the puffy bun-perfectly cooked to medium rare, and seasoned so well that my mind wandered to the Spotted Pig burger and placed this one next to it in my brain's burger rankings."- Andrea Strong, The Strong Buzz

with all the hype surrounding it, it's no wonder that my trip to market table felt ever so slightly. . . anti-climatic?

i ordered my burger medium and it arrived just as promised- with a slight char on the outside and pink in the center- managing to provide both wonderful texture and flavorful juices. the meat was perfectly seasoned and the chewy, slightly dense bun held it's own against the weight of the substantial patty. all in all, i thought the burger was delicious and satisfying. but i was not transcended or convinced it's the best burger in the city. . . so the search continues.

family rituals

my parents are extremely devoted to their children. they would travel almost any length of time and distance to see them- whether it's my sister in gainesville, my brother in philly, or myself in ny. since my mom refuses to fly- travel is limited to driving, taking a bus, or train. the preferred method is driving.

however, this comes with my dad inevitably getting lost and me glued to googlemap trying to help him navigate the streets.

tonight, i finally figured out what the confusion is. my dad drives in from the west side of manhattan. he hits 12th avenue and sees the water and mistakes it for the east river which i do live close to. however, he knows he's supposed to be in the higher digits and ends up circling the confusing area which is the west village lost amidst "name" streets rather than "number" streets.

right now, they are just a few blocks away. hopefully they get here soon without further mishap. this week has been exhausting and i need a good night's rest or lots of coffee to get me through a full day of activity tomorrow.

a hipster by any other name

"You used to be able to tell the difference between hipsters and homeless people. Now, it's between hipsters and retards. I mean, either that guy in the corner in orange safety pants holding a protest sign and wearing a top hat is mentally disabled or he is the coolest fucking guy you will ever know." -Chuck Klosterman, New York Magazine

he said/she said

rikitintin emailed me the following piece of hilarity. ENJOY!

HER DIARY

Tonight I thought he was acting weird. We had made plans to meetat a bar to have a drink. I was shopping with my friends all day long,so I thought he was upset at the fact that I was a bit late, but hemade no comment.

Conversation wasn't flowing so I suggested that we go somewherequiet so we could talk. He agreed but he kept quiet and absent. I asked him what was wrong; he said nothing. I asked him if it was my fault that he was upset. He said it had nothing to do with me and not to worry.

On the way home I told him that I loved him, he simply smiled and kept driving. I can't explain his behavior; I don't know why he didn't say I love you too. When we got home I felt as if I had lost him, as if he wanted nothing to do with me anymore. He just sat there and watched T.V. He seemed distant and absent.

Finally, I decided to go to bed. About 10 minutes later he came to bed, and to my surprise he responded to my caress and we made love, but I still felt that he was distracted and his thoughts were somewhere else. He fell asleep - I cried. I don't know what to do. I'm almost sure that his thoughts are with someone else. My life is a disaster.

HIS DIARY
Today the Jets lost, but at least I got laid.

"literally" picked up

saturday night was a frenzy of social outings- much busier than i've been of late. shopping in soho with the boy in the afternoon, dinner with theng and q2, then drinks with celestial at verlaine. after one round, we decided to go to schillers and continued to catch up. after another round, we decided to leave and i planned to make my way to willie-b. celestial was on the fence about heading home, out, or to a friend's so she hopped into my cab with me. i did my best to convince her to come along to no avail.

cabbie: where to?


v: williamsburg, just get off at the first exit off the bridge.


celestial: can we make two stops?


v: c'mon, you should come with me to williamsburg. it's gonna be a lot of fun.


celestial: i duno. i'm really beat.


cabbie: yea, the night is young. you should party. i'll come with you.


v: you don't have to stay out all that late. . . you're gonna have a good time!


cabbie: so where should i take you?



celestial: V, i think you should go ahead adn have a great time. i'm so glad we got to catch up.


v: ok i will, be good-bye!


cabbie: so to williamsburg?


v: yep, n9th and kent. i'll show you how to go.


cabbie: so where are you going? to a party? we should party together!


v: something like that. i'm going to meet up with my boyfriend and some friends for a couple drinks.


cabbie: so where do you live? i can wait around and pick you back up later.


v: no, it's okay. i have a ride.


cabbie: what's your name?


v: V. what's yours.


cabbie: amir


v: nice to meet you. so amir, do you flirt with every female passenger that rides in your cab?


cabbie: no no no. not at all.


v: don't you have a girlfriend or something?


cabbie: yes. but she's not like you. it's not so serious. can i get your number? i can pick you up later or i can come in and get a drink with you. we can hang out.


v: no i don't think so. i told you i have a boyfriend already. i'm not that kind of girl.


cabbie: i didn't say you were that kind of girl. no one is like that.


v: ok, here we are. can i get $11 back?


cabbie: ok. i really don't mind waiting to give you a ride. here i'll park my car and come in.


v: realizing that amir was not goin to give up and that he seemed relatively harmless, i conceded. ok, but my boyfriend is inside you know.


amir muttered "sure sure" as he followed me. my friend was waiting outside to show me where the unmarked door was. we went inside and the boy and his friends were sitting around a back corner table. i made the introductions as we sat down.

cabbie: you weren't joking! your boyfriend is here. i feel weird.

v: of course i wasn't. it's fine, really not a big deal. you might as well have a drink while you are here.

cabbie: um. . no now i feel really weird. i'm sorry. thanks for everything. you all have a good night.

ith that, amir left. . . certainly the first time a cab driver has tried to pick me up and while i was initially annoyed, i had to give the guy a lot of credit for his chops!

prune

feeling ravenous on saturday afternoon, the boy and i decided it would be a good time to test out TONY's list of best burgers.

after making a couple calls to see which restaurants would still be open around 3PM, we setled on prune in the east village. i was excited- prune has been on my mental "to try" list of restaurants for quite some time and i'd only heard positive things about it. so we headed downtown and arrived around 3:15, 15 minutes before their kitchen stopped serving brunch, but luckily with enough time to be guaranteed a table.

prune is a cozy, nook of a restaurant with small tables closely spaced together, an open kitchen in the rear, and a small wooden bar on the east side of the room. the atmosphere carried an unmistakeable european undertone. standing inside, one could just as easily be in a bistro in paris or cafe in florence. apparently, the other guests felt similarly as i heard just as many european accents than american ones.

when we finally sat down, we were given brunch menus and a list of beverages including several variations on bloody mary's, a weakness of mine. i asked the server if we could order off the lunch menu and were politely told no. i was heartily disappointed that my second attempt to test out the TONY list was again thwarted. however, an order of monte crisco and a southwestern style bloody mary provided all the comfort i needed- plus an excuse to return to prune for lunch!

it was only the second ever monte crisco that i have had (i shouldn't even count the horrible excuse for a monte crisco that was essentially an over swiss cheesied french toast concoction that i had at some UES diner at 3AM) and i have no qualms about calling the best in nyc. the sandwich was comprised of three slices of bread layered with ham, turkey, and swiss cheese lightly battered and perfectly fried. the monte crisco was lightly dusted with powdered sugar and served with currant jelly and a side of fried eggs. presentation was beautiful and the elements were perfectly balanced with no one ingredient overwhelming the other.

while savoring our delicious food, the boy and i took note of the little details that make prune distinct- the antique brassy looking pepper mill, the alkaseltzer in a small white bowl sitting on the bar for customers recovering from a late night of carousing, the never ending george michael playlist, the great stemware (where can i find those double old fashioned glasses?). . . i'm looking forward to trying out their lunch and dinner- prune just may have made my top 10 ny restaurant list.