Sweet Blog o' Mine

Crankypants

I've been a bit cranky since I returned from Umbria (settling back into real life ain't fun).  My mood took a turn for the better this morning when I put on a pair of pants I haven't worn since last fall to find that, despite stuffing my face with pasta and cured meats and washing it down with wine all last week, they were pleasantly loose -- far more so than they were at this time last year.  Guess all that time at the gym is doing something after all!

The Little Things

Things I miss about Italy now that I'm back:
- proper coffee
- the big wooden dining table and the fireplace in our villa
- waking up to see a view of the Italian countryside out of the bedroom window
- constant company
- seeing and experiencing new things every day

Things I missed while I was away:
- solitude
- the ability to get places independently
- non-Italian food
- friends and family who weren't with me
- my bed, which I am convinced is the most comfortable bed ever (the bed from which I am writing this post, as a matter of fact)

Yep, that's me -- the walking dichotomy.  And now, back to work.  And fall.

Back to Reality, I'm Afraid

Made it home safe and sound last night.  Still a little off kilter due to jetlag and a week of general overindulgence, but I should be relatively back in gear by tomorrow.  Many, many more pictures to come, but for now, just a shot of something I'll be avoiding for at least the near future (although this dish, prepared by John and Matt in our Umbrian villa, was quite tasty).  Hi to the gang -- hope you all made it back to your respective homes without incident and thanks again for an outstanding week in the Italian countryside. 

Italia!

Off to work and then to Umbria for a week.  I'll be offline, most likely, so will be sure to unplug and relax with great friends, food and wine while exploring the countryside.  Ciao!

Too Early

Heading to the office early to finish prep for my 9:30 Pro Bono Committee meeting (followed immediately by yet another meeting).  Seriously -- I am no good at this hour.  Plus, I'm still reeling from the amazing dinner I had last night with the Epicurious folks at Del Posto.  I'm hoping a little extra coffee will help me make it through the day and safely back home tonight to get to laundry and packing.

Friday on My Mind

Courtesy of the genius that is the Onion:

Tuesday's arrival stunned a nation still recovering from the nightmarish slog that was Monday, leaving some to wonder if the week was ever going to end, and others to ask what was taking Saturday so goddamn long.

"Ugh," said Wagner, echoing a national sense of frustration over it not even being Wednesday at the very least.

According to suddenly depressed sources, the feeling that this week may in fact last forever was further compounded by the thought of all the work left to be done tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and, if Americans make it that far, possibly even Friday, for Christ's sake.

Fears that the week could actually be going backwards were also expressed.

Fall is in the Air

Got my first taste of fall yesterday with a hike in Harriman State Park with Lauren, Frank, Caroline and Tara -- the colors of the foliage gave me a little home decor inspiration.  The rest of the weekend involved an excellent dinner Friday night at foodie, and recovery and Italy-related errands on Saturday.  After returning from the hike, I attacked a few more closets in preparation for the Salvation Army pickup tomorrow -- I've got three boxes of shoes and purses and five large garbage bags full of clothing to ship off.  Slow and steady . . .

Art-y

I came home last night after a loooong day (training, meetings, no breakfast, conference call, two events) to find several packages waiting for me.  One was a promotional poster for Alice Waters' new book, The Art of Simple Food (interesting timing, as Alice was mentioned quite a bit at last night's Julia lecture).  Not only is the poster emblazoned with directives that speak to the way I try to eat and cook generally, like "shop at farmers' markets," "Eal locally and sustainably," "Cook together," and, my favorite, "Eat together," but it matches my new decorating scheme.  Between that, a large sized print of a picture of the Little Red Lighthouse that I took, and a print of another picture of an old bicycle from the beach house, I seem to be amassing a collection of art that highlights the colors I'm looking for.

Words of Wisdom

I went to see a lecture last night on Julia Child (before heading to the PJ Harvey show) and was reminded of how much I admired Julia's attitude towards life.  One of my favorite Julia quotes (I read her biography last year) is her recipe for a healthy and happy life, "Moderation in all things -- a great variety of food -- exercise and weight watching - and most important of all, pick your grandparents."

Argh!

Sometimes I am SUCH a girl.  I came home last night and saw an enormous bug on the back edge of my couch.  I shrieked, ran for the Raid, and shoved the couch away from the wall.  I took off my shoe and swatted the thing onto the floor, shrieked yet again then chased it around the living room until I cornered it.  Then I Raid-ed the crap out of it until it stopped moving, at which point I grabbed a wad of paper towels and flushed it.  I then ran out of the apartment straight to the 24 hour drug store to get new roach baits.  This seems to happen about once a year or so.  I guess the bright side is that I always know when it's time to get new roach baits -- perhaps putting it on my calendar would be a better way to go.