… nor blogging.
Monday (and that would be Monday a week ago, by the time this was written) I got home on the late side, and ate the last couple of leafs of spinach, almonds, and dried cranberries from the soup dinner salad, sautéed with some of the leftover farro salad, that I made with less olives, and some of them were black instead of the green kind prescribed. I left the chives out too – the scallions were onion-y enough. Although I did like the technique of chopping the raisons, that made a little sweetness throughout instead of biting into a whole raison. to go with the greens, I made a kind of tofu meatball slider on a square of the focaccia, and it was OK, but a little crumbly.
On Tuesday, we were supposed to have a blizzard but it never materialized. I got home a little on the early side, and pushed slush off the sidewalk, and then made a gratin of these beans mixed with cream and carrots and a little parsley, with focaccia crumbs on top. I had cooked the beans when Rach was still here.
On Wednesday, I worked at home because my work laptop was getting upgraded. The day started off well enough; I had oatmeal with dates and banana for breakfast – but got hungry around 4:00 and ate junk. I had class at 8:00, so although I had the time, I didn’t have enough appetite to make a healthy dinner before class, that Mark could’ve eaten when he got back from Chicago. He went out and bought a sandwich, and I ate microwave s’mores.
On Thursday after work I walked up to the square to meet with some friends about one of them’s scheme for a business venture. The meeting went way too long, and I’m not sure the business venture is even close to ready for me to invest in it – but it was nice to see everyone. Needless to say I didn’t get home in time to make the shepherd’s pie I’d been planning. I ate leftover pea soup and the last square of focaccia – I think Mark made popcorn.
Frank Stella, Double Gray Scramble, 1973. Screenprint on white Arches 88 mould-made paper, 29 x 50 3/4 inches. National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Gemini G.E.L. and the Artist, 1981.5.98 © 2016 Frank Stella / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
On Friday, I wanted to go to Frank Stella at MMoCA – but it was standing room only. I also wanted to go to a special event at this bar on the eastside – friends of friends opened a brew pub, the Parched Eagle – but it’s way the F out in Westport or something, and I knew chances of me getting there were slim to none. But they took over this much closer bar on Friday, so seemed like a good time to go. When I asked (non-drinker) Mark what he wanted to do on Friday he said, “Dinner” – so I pointed out the various dining opportunities after the bar. We went, I had a beer, we both and talked to a few people, and then went seeking dinner. The main possibilities were Avenue Bar – nicely remodeled (no longer the Avenue of old, where I went after softball games with my taxi driver friends) and 2-hour wait; Suejo – that Mark was afraid would be equally crowded and since it was the farthest away choice as we headed back west, we didn’t even get there; and the new east side Pasqual’s – which is huge and had immediate seating. So we got dinner, a little more than I should have eaten. Mark had a burrito, I had quesadillas, which I thought I’d get with beans but ended up with pork carnitas – tastier, but heavier too.
On Saturday, I got up and went to election official training. I sat next to a familiar looking fellow, who also works on campus, in the Physics department, and when I said I know Bill Grogan, he said “the late”. So that makes two people who I knew in the late ’70s who died in the summer of 2014, and I never knew until now, almost two years later. Grogan and Steve Stepnock. I walked past Chamberlain Hall on my way home from work today (Tuesday), and felt a little sad, and a little stupid for being so oblivious. I rarely saw Grogan, but he was a real character, and I just kind of liked knowing he was around. Rarely saw Step either, but he was a truly nice guy and the world is a less good place without him.
I worked all afternoon, and then we had meatloaf and mashed potatoes for supper, and Mark and I went to see the Sound of Music at Overture. It wasn’t Julie Andrews, but it was a good production. Expensive, though.
On Sunday, Super Bowl Sunday, I went out to the co-op and Sentry early to beat the crowds. I made date muffins and we ate them for breakfast with coddled eggs. Then I worked until 4:00, went for a walk, met with one student online, and then made a bunch of Super Bowl snacks.
And now it’s Tuesday already – and we’re still eating Super Bowl leftovers. I had BBQ tofu balls for lunch today, and 2 spanakopita and a bowl of oatmeal for dinner. It got cold again, so I think it’s time to go snuggle up with a cat.