iPhone Anxiety?

July 3rd, 2009

When I decided to post on this site every day this month, I knew I could use my iPhone for on-the-go or in-a-pinch blogging.  It’s not my preffered way to publish, but it works. 

This morning was a bit of a whirlwind.  I struggled to wake up, hitting snooze about 6 or 7 times.  I forced myself to take a shower, get dressed, and pack a little bag for our trip to LI.  Adam made some coffee and in my rush, I was only able to take a few gulps.  I even “drank” it black- something I never do. 

At that point we were already behind our planned departure time, so we told the cats we loved them and ran out the door.  Once outside we decided we needed some food and picked up some Dub Pies to go (side note: we LOVE Dub Pies!).  A few minutes later we on the bus.

And then… I reached into my pocketbook for my phone.  I checked the outer pockets, where it normally rests, then dug around the bottom of the bag, where I sometimes stash it.   Then it hit me… I didn’t pack my phone. 

And then… A few minutes of iPhone Anxiety. 

What if I wanted to get in my NaBloPoMo post?  Check my e-mail or twitter?  Listen to music on the train? Call my parents?  Text?  Take pictures?!  

I’m obviously posting now, and can use Adam’s phone whenever I need, so the whole freaking out was pointless.  But it happened.  And I was legitimately upset.

I gotta run now, so I’ll just give you the moral of the story:  It’s just a gadget.  Save your anxiety for something else, like planning a wedding.

Also, rushing is bad.  Must learn to wake up earlier!  More on that later when we discuss the topic of routine.

Memory

July 2nd, 2009

That was easier than I thought it would be.  The Michael Jackson “Thriller” cassette tape was exactly where I’d hoped it was - squirreled away in my closet, under the shoes and in the blue bin of miscellaneous items.  The only criteria for this bin is that the items inside must have to be related to electronics somehow.   So it’s a jumble of old cell phones, tapes, cds, and wires that I just can’t part with.  And I never could part with this…

When Michael Jackson passed away last week, I immediately thought about all the vacations I took as a child with my parents and brother (namely drives down to Florida).  I thought about the Michael Jackson tape that my brother and I always wanted to play back then, especially the songs “Beat It” and “Billie Jean.”  I’m not sure how old I was, but I declared “Beat It” to be my favorite song.  I was a real trendsetter you see, the album having been out since 1982, two years before I was born.  ;)

Sitting here at the kitchen table, I look at the tape in my hands and I’m sad that the man on the front has died.

But then in my head I see the four of us cruising down I-95 in the old Dodge caravan, as happy as can be.

You’re Gonna Do What?!@

July 2nd, 2009

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I’ve decided to attempt another NaBloPoMo, or month of daily blogging.  I’m not sure if I’ll be able to hack it this time, but why not try?  I’m busy with a lot of things (think work, gym, wedding, apt/house hunting), but writing, pictures, and creativity are important to me too.  So, we’ll see…

Each month there is a theme suggested on the NaBloPoMo site and this month’s is “routine.”  You don’t have to write about the theme (I chose not to this past Novemeber when I participated).  This time I’m at least provoked by the idea of routine, especially since it’s inherently a part of daily blogging.  Whether that translates into posts or not is yet to be decided.

Now.  Enough of this post about posting.  I’m going to go search my closet for a certain memento, which I’ll share with you if I’m lucky enough to find it!

Mandoo Bar

July 1st, 2009

Tonight marked our second trip to Mandoo Bar on 32nd street.  We first ate there two weekends ago, grabbing a quick lunch before heading to Penn Station. That day there were two women in the front window of the restaurant, making the filling and forming dumplings, but this evening there were trays and trays of ready to go dumplings behind the glass.  I had anticipated taking a really cool “dumpling ladies in action” picture, but was plenty satisfied with the “dozens of dumplings calling my name” shot I did get.

I snapped some pictures of all of our food, despite my growling stomach.  Nothing like some tofu and dumplings to cure the post-workout hunger pangs!

The fried tofu was DELICIOUS.  I hope the capital letters help to convey the fact that this fried tofu was REALLY GOOD and possibly the best fried tofu I’ve ever had.  The sauce on top was what made this dish work so very well.  Tofu, even when fried, can be a little boring sometimes, but not when topped with a sauce like this.

These little guys were the Baby Mandoo - mini pork/veggie filled dumplings.  They were cute and yummy, but I think I prefer the non-baby dumplings:

This is the Seafood Mandoo… my favorite dish of dumplings.  There is just something undeniably tasty about crab stick and shrimp wrapped up in a doughly little shell… for me anyhow…

Since we were in the ‘hood, I suggested/dictated a trip to Red Mango for dessert.  I just love my original flavored Red Mango frozen yogurt.  My favorite topping combo is strawberry and mango, but I decided to try the yogurt chips to experience something new.  I didn’t love them, or having to crunch on them every five seconds, but the yogurt itself was delectable as always.  I may be addicted.

Some men in suits walked in while we were sitting with our yogurt.  I enjoyed watching them all sample the yogurts, get their own, then stand in a little circle eating it.  Especially from the bench, they looked very tall and serious.  They were clearly just out of a business meeting or dinner and I amused myself by coming up with a caption for the sneaky picture I took: “Let’s seal this deal over some fro-yo!”   I know, not that funny.  But I made myself laugh, which is a great thing, don’t you think?

Dinner and dessert were followed by entertainment on the F train.

Soba-ya

June 3rd, 2009

I like going on dates with Adam.  Although we eat together most nights of the week, a date night usually entails something special.  We may try a new restaurant or visit a new area altogether.  Sometimes we simply revisit one of our favorite places, like Penelope or Franny’s.  We typically splurge and we always go home happy.

Last Friday’s date took us to Soba-ya in the East Village.  Adam had requested Japanese noodles and I delivered.  Or rather, Menupages.com delivered.  As soon as we walked into the place, we knew it was going to be a good one.  The first thing that tipped us off was every single employee in the room calling out a Japanese greeting to us (and every single person that entered the restaurant afterwards).  They all seemed quite happy to be doing it too.  Good vibes.  I only wished I had something better than “hi!” to respond with.  Next time.

Since we were on a date, I decided to indulge in a Sapporo.  Adam ordered a box of sake.

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We each picked an appetizer for the both of us to share.  My choice was the Goma Tofu - a chilled sesame tofu.  I don’t think you can really go wrong with anything sesame flavored.  The block of tofu was a little awkward to share (lots of funny chopstick maneuvers going on) but we enjoyed it.

Adam picked the Ika Meshi from the “Delicacies” portion of the menu.  I didn’t realize the section was titled “Delicacies” at the time and I’m now marvelling at how cool that is…. Ah, yes, just a typical Friday night eating delicacies at an authentic Japenese noodle restaurant…

The Ika Meshi is described as “cooked squid stuffed with sticky rice.”  I wasn’t very excited for it but that changed as soon as I laid my eyes upon it.  I guess I didn’t expect it to look like this:

These pretty little squid discs tasted great.  The squid wasn’t as chewy as you might expect and the sticky rice was first rate.  Whoever devised this combination of taste and texture deserves an award.

For my entree, I didn’t order anything too complicated.  I had the Kitsune Udon: fried bean curd, fishcake, spinach, udon, and broth.

Adam had the Nabeyaki Udon, which was a bit more complex.  There was egg, fishcake, shrimp tempura, and chicken, all served in a steaming pot.  Oishii!  (I am told that means delicious).

The noodles were delicious.  The ones you get for a few bucks at Japanese markets are also very good, but these had the texture and taste unique to a fresh pasta or noodle.

However, next time I am going to make sure of two things.   We have to get the soba noodles, since the restaurant is named for its soba and seems to take especial pride in making it.  If you are interested, definitely read the restaurant concept on the website.  I love that they encourage you to slurp since soba should be eaten quickly, before it loses flavor.  The other thing I’d like to do is order from the Cold Soba & Udon dishes - maybe even plain noodles with dipping sauce.  As mentioned before, I’m really all about noodles and don’t think I’d miss the distraction of the broth so much.

This is getting a bit long, no?  And I haven’t even told you about the dessert we ordered.    Because on date night… there is often dessert :)

Here is the little round bun that was filled with red bean paste:

I liked the bun well enough but let Adam have most of it for two reasons.  #1,  He likes the red bean filling more than I do …

And #2,  I spotted the dessert truck on our way to dinner, and had every intention of getting myself a treat on our way back to the train.

I had the chocolate bread pudding again, with the bacon custard on top.  It was amazing again, except I have to say the bottom half doesn’t resemble bread pudding as much as it does a warm chocolate goo.  Or is it standard for bread pudding to only be bready on top?  Not that I am complaining… the goo was delicious.  The whole evening was delicious..