Sweet Blog o' Mine

Forgot to Mention

that I'm in Minneapolis this week at a conference.  Having a great time so for -- all of my panels/meetings have gone smoothly, as have the meals I've organized.   One more panel to go!

There's No Place Like London

In the words of Sweeney Todd.  Yes, we have our differing opinions of London (Rob), but I certainly enjoyed my time there.  The pictures are now up.  Highlights included a trip to Oxford with Rebecca, a day at Borough Market followed by dinner at St. John with Rob and Tamara (the famous marrow bones and parsley salad pictured above), Thai dinner at Addie's, my long walk to the Tate to see the Peter Doig exhibit, and drinks and dinner with Jodie and Margie.  Thanks again to Rob (and Sara in absentia) for their hospitality.

Home Sweet Home

All I can say is after that last, bumpy hour and a half of my flight back from London, I sure as hell am happy to be home and sleeping in my own bed tonight.  I also just realized that this is the first return home from a long(ish) vacation since I bought my place -- does it feel different to return home to a place I own?  Not sure, but it definitely feels fabulous to be here.

Happy Pesach!

Hi all -- I'm off to London tonight but just wanted to wish everyone a happy passover.  I am being the worst Jew ever this year -- not even trying to keep kosher for Passover.  I did get to taste some delicious Matzoh Brei (more details on Gothamist later) and am planning to cook a seder with Rob while I'm away.  An appropriate clip from the Onion:  Passover Seder Half-Assed.  Sort of like when we put a Cadbury Creme Egg on our family seder plate.

[UPDATE -- here's the Gothamist post.  Cheerio!]

And We're Off . . .

to D.C. for the annual pro bono extravaganza and some socializing -- mostly work related, but I'm sure I'll manage to squeak in some non-work fun as well between the conference, the business dinners, and the Justice Ginsburg reception.  On a side note, after seeing Jim White tonight courtesy of Ryan (thanks, Ryan!), I met up with Jimmy for a drink at Gottino.  We really enjoyed the surroundings, the wine, and the menu -- I'll definitely be back!  And to help you enjoy the week, a little fun from our friends at the Onion: 60% of the Federal Budget is Wasted on Eating Out (at least I'm not the only one).

To Market, To Market

I came across this article yesterday about markets as travel destinations, which mentioned several markets I have visited during the course of my travels, including Barcelona's Boqueria (from which I have a picture above my stove) and London's Borough Market.  After what happened surrounding my most recent visit to Borough Market, not only did I feel strangely vindicated, but I had to fight off the urge to send the article to my ex (I didn't send it).

Off to Maine via Boston after work today -- have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving, all!

A Glimpse of Umbria

Well, I had high hopes for a trip summary by now, but no such luck, I'm afraid.  Instead of making you wait to see the pictures until the summary is ready, they're up now, with captions in case you'd like to know what you're seeing.  Full report to come at some point this weekend.  You can find the pictures here.

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!