I've been following this shop as an eBay store for about one year. I knew they were literally in my back yard, but I had not made the time to visit and I am disappointed in myself for not having stopped by sooner. Simply put, the Trolley House Emporium store is awesome! This store takes up half a block on Broad St. in Quakertown, which appears to be enjoying a little bit of a renaissance. There are a lot of antique shops and boutiques and cute little places running through the heart of this little borough. Why isn't anyone talking about it? Check it out, people!
The Trolley House Emporium has an eBay store where the user name is “Glittering Generalities”; a perfect name for a shop that has a little but of everything: junque, mid-century modern, early twentieth century and older. There are three main rooms chock-a-block full of stuff; everything from Fiestaware to horse tack. The back room is mostly full of furniture, ranging in age from the 40's through the 80's. There is an upstairs room full of chairs and beds and other randoms stuff. The eBay story truly doesn't do justice to the amount of things that this store has. The owner, Jen, is friendly and willing to bargain. When I visited, she and her partner were unloading new arrivals into the store. This is what thrifting and recycling should be like. I saw at least two items that are haunting me.
I will definitely be back!
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Good Things in Small Packages: A Review of Ten Tiny Dances: Ten Different Visions. One Very Small Space
April 30, 2010. Bethlehem, PA. Touchstone Theater. I attended this event at the invitation of a friend who was performing. I had not had the opportunity to see any of her recent endeavors even though we've been living within an hour's drive of each other for the last 2 years or so.
The organizing principle of the show was that each dance had to be contained within a small space. In this instance, the space was defined by a 4'x 4' platform raised about 8" off the stage. Anyone who has danced in their living room knows how hard it is to keep from tripping over your coffee table, so I was anticipating the challenge posed by this kind of space limitation. But every performer pulled it off without a hitch.
The first performance, "A Bend in the River", featured a dance performed on a spinning wheel. The effect was somewhere between a dervish and Pilates class. But you could appreciate the athleticism of the dancer and what a challenge it was to stay balanced on the wheel. The music also added to the dervish feel, a mystical voice over primal rhythms.
The next performance was that of my friend, who called her piece "Early Onset", with music "Eet" by Regina Spektor. "L" incorporated her stage presence into the dance and told a story of longing and frenzy. I could see the drama presence and I was drawn into the story through her facial expressions. I don't need to mention that it was a complete thrill to see my friend perform. Bravo!
"Shoulders Down, head raised, a pleasant expression upon your countenance" was the next dance. This comic piece wove classical ballet with spoken word and mixed classical music. I think it offered a little of everything to everyone. While the two dancers moved through typical ballet moves, a spoken word track played over the music, providing narration (presumably ballet theory) about how you should move and look and think while you are dancing. The performance offered some comic relief as the dancers played off each other's moves and tried to "out ballet" each other on the tiny stage. Among many things it was a marvel to behold the choreography that went into keeping two fully grown dancers contained in such a small space.
"Choice" was a bold piece set to a tango. The dancer strutted and sashayed using a red ball as a prop. I have my own theories about what the ball might represent, but in the end, she was able to lose it...gracefully. I have never seen a tango executed by one dancer before. But I think one of the key themes of this show was to change our perception of what dance can be and overturn our expectations of what we thought we were going to see. A large component of dance is discipline. The space limitation creates a certain amount of tension by limiting where you can go and the types of moves you can do, but doesn't throwing out one convention liberate you to explore a host of other possibilities?
Another humorous pas de deux featured two young and devastatingly attractive dancers. "Lovers Being Lovers" (Barbara Streisand "People") set the two dancers against one another, each wanting to be part of the other but wanting to be separate as well. Most remarkable was the opening pose where the woman completely supported the weight of the man. This is a remarkable feat when you consider the size of the woman, but at the same time, it was a wonderful demonstration of how dancers use body mechanics to defy gravity.
After a brief intermission, we resumed the journey with "Buried in the Brain". Of all the pieces, this one was the least accessible to me. I was looking for a connection between the spoken word (I am not overly familiar with Emily Dickinson's poetry, but I recognized one line from "My life had stood a loaded gun", I think.) and the dance; I sensed a descent into madness, a rage. The dance itself was well executed, I liked the movements, but I found the spoken words distracting and maybe a little overwrought. I would have rather just seen the dance and left off the poetry - but maybe I wasn't in a head space to receive the message.
In "BodyRock" our devastatingly attractive couple returned for a street-influenced number performed to Moby's "BodyRock". This set was not as playful as I would have expected. The dancers didn't appear to feel the movement until the very end - when they loosened up and enjoyed the music. But I think it was paced perfectly. It served as a perfect foil to the previous piece and set the tone for the rest of the performances.
"Rocking", another humor set, was one of the most interesting pieces of the entire show because it featured three women and three rocking chairs. With their chairs as partners, they rocked, moved in, through and around within that 4' X 4' space. It was an innovative and at the same time languorous performance. It reaffirmed to the audience the endless possibilities that remain when you through off convention. Who says a pas de deux has to be two people? For some reason, (maybe it was the music or the general pace of the piece) it reminded me of the scene from "Oh Brother, Where Art Though" where the Sirens are washing their clothes on the rocks in the river. I don't know why, but it provided a very pleasant association for me.
No off, off, off, off, off, off, off Broadway performance would be complete with out a "drag" number. "Lip Syncing for My Life" was less about dance and broke more of the "rules" about using the limited space than any of the other numbers. And it seemed clear to me that this performance was part of a larger piece (that I would love to see). The performer lip synced "I Need You" from the Eurythmics with an energy worthy of any cabaret I have ever seen. It was funny, irreverent, cheeky and it clearly had alot of fans in the audience. I don't know that it met the letter of the constraint, but it surely embraced the spirit.
Nearly all the performers participated in the finale, where the first dancer returned as the centerpiece on his spinning wheel and each of the dancers took a turn spinning on the wheel and spinning around each other. I could have sworn the music was The Pixies, but alas I was wrong; it was the Ravonettes. It was probably not the most rehearsed of all the dances, but it was fun and a perfect dollop of joy on top of a wonderful exhibition of dance.
While some of the dancers were professional faculty and some were students, all are talented to one extent or another. It was impressive to see a wide range of body types, dance styles and interpretations, proving that big things can flourish in a small space.
The organizing principle of the show was that each dance had to be contained within a small space. In this instance, the space was defined by a 4'x 4' platform raised about 8" off the stage. Anyone who has danced in their living room knows how hard it is to keep from tripping over your coffee table, so I was anticipating the challenge posed by this kind of space limitation. But every performer pulled it off without a hitch.
The first performance, "A Bend in the River", featured a dance performed on a spinning wheel. The effect was somewhere between a dervish and Pilates class. But you could appreciate the athleticism of the dancer and what a challenge it was to stay balanced on the wheel. The music also added to the dervish feel, a mystical voice over primal rhythms.
The next performance was that of my friend, who called her piece "Early Onset", with music "Eet" by Regina Spektor. "L" incorporated her stage presence into the dance and told a story of longing and frenzy. I could see the drama presence and I was drawn into the story through her facial expressions. I don't need to mention that it was a complete thrill to see my friend perform. Bravo!
"Shoulders Down, head raised, a pleasant expression upon your countenance" was the next dance. This comic piece wove classical ballet with spoken word and mixed classical music. I think it offered a little of everything to everyone. While the two dancers moved through typical ballet moves, a spoken word track played over the music, providing narration (presumably ballet theory) about how you should move and look and think while you are dancing. The performance offered some comic relief as the dancers played off each other's moves and tried to "out ballet" each other on the tiny stage. Among many things it was a marvel to behold the choreography that went into keeping two fully grown dancers contained in such a small space.
"Choice" was a bold piece set to a tango. The dancer strutted and sashayed using a red ball as a prop. I have my own theories about what the ball might represent, but in the end, she was able to lose it...gracefully. I have never seen a tango executed by one dancer before. But I think one of the key themes of this show was to change our perception of what dance can be and overturn our expectations of what we thought we were going to see. A large component of dance is discipline. The space limitation creates a certain amount of tension by limiting where you can go and the types of moves you can do, but doesn't throwing out one convention liberate you to explore a host of other possibilities?
Another humorous pas de deux featured two young and devastatingly attractive dancers. "Lovers Being Lovers" (Barbara Streisand "People") set the two dancers against one another, each wanting to be part of the other but wanting to be separate as well. Most remarkable was the opening pose where the woman completely supported the weight of the man. This is a remarkable feat when you consider the size of the woman, but at the same time, it was a wonderful demonstration of how dancers use body mechanics to defy gravity.
After a brief intermission, we resumed the journey with "Buried in the Brain". Of all the pieces, this one was the least accessible to me. I was looking for a connection between the spoken word (I am not overly familiar with Emily Dickinson's poetry, but I recognized one line from "My life had stood a loaded gun", I think.) and the dance; I sensed a descent into madness, a rage. The dance itself was well executed, I liked the movements, but I found the spoken words distracting and maybe a little overwrought. I would have rather just seen the dance and left off the poetry - but maybe I wasn't in a head space to receive the message.
In "BodyRock" our devastatingly attractive couple returned for a street-influenced number performed to Moby's "BodyRock". This set was not as playful as I would have expected. The dancers didn't appear to feel the movement until the very end - when they loosened up and enjoyed the music. But I think it was paced perfectly. It served as a perfect foil to the previous piece and set the tone for the rest of the performances.
"Rocking", another humor set, was one of the most interesting pieces of the entire show because it featured three women and three rocking chairs. With their chairs as partners, they rocked, moved in, through and around within that 4' X 4' space. It was an innovative and at the same time languorous performance. It reaffirmed to the audience the endless possibilities that remain when you through off convention. Who says a pas de deux has to be two people? For some reason, (maybe it was the music or the general pace of the piece) it reminded me of the scene from "Oh Brother, Where Art Though" where the Sirens are washing their clothes on the rocks in the river. I don't know why, but it provided a very pleasant association for me.
No off, off, off, off, off, off, off Broadway performance would be complete with out a "drag" number. "Lip Syncing for My Life" was less about dance and broke more of the "rules" about using the limited space than any of the other numbers. And it seemed clear to me that this performance was part of a larger piece (that I would love to see). The performer lip synced "I Need You" from the Eurythmics with an energy worthy of any cabaret I have ever seen. It was funny, irreverent, cheeky and it clearly had alot of fans in the audience. I don't know that it met the letter of the constraint, but it surely embraced the spirit.
Nearly all the performers participated in the finale, where the first dancer returned as the centerpiece on his spinning wheel and each of the dancers took a turn spinning on the wheel and spinning around each other. I could have sworn the music was The Pixies, but alas I was wrong; it was the Ravonettes. It was probably not the most rehearsed of all the dances, but it was fun and a perfect dollop of joy on top of a wonderful exhibition of dance.
While some of the dancers were professional faculty and some were students, all are talented to one extent or another. It was impressive to see a wide range of body types, dance styles and interpretations, proving that big things can flourish in a small space.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Barrels on the Brandywine, Part Two
It was under much different weather conditions that we set out for our second foray into Pennsylvania wine country. The sky was overcast and threatened rain; and the breezes were damp and cold. But our resolve was unshaken. We were determined to taste wine!
We were the first to arrive at the Penn's Woods Vineyard and Winery in Chadds Ford. It was off the main road and located among rolling hills and horse farms. We filed into the quaint converted farm house and took our places at the bar where we sampled Traminette, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and the "No Name" rose. I preferred the Traminette a fruity and playful wine and the rose. I don't usually prefer roses at all because they are too sweet, but the balance of sweetness of this rose tasted correct to me. It's a perfect summer wine for out on the porch.
We moved on to the reds and we sampled the Merlot and the Ameritage. I am less able to tolerate some of the heavy flavors of the reds these days, but the Ameritage worked for me. Note the lack of fancy wine lingo here, there's what tastes good to me and what does not.
There were vendors offering flavored olive oils and aged balsamic vinegars, but I am not a connoisseur of either of these things, so I passed. We wandered away with a few bottles of lovely wine and a complimentary tote bag.
Our next vineyard was Paradocx. According to our wine companions, they had built up the vineyard quite a bit since their last visit a few years ago. This event was one of the few we visited with a theme, "Cheeseburgers in Paradocx". Unfortunately, the weather did not lend itself to organic grilled hamburgers and sausages on the patio. However, Paradocx was kind enough to allow us to camp out in one of their tasting rooms and eat our picnic lunch in warmth and comfort.
At this winery, we enjoyed a barrel tasting of chardonnay and merlot. I must have an uncultured palate because on the whole, I most enjoy the wines from the barrel that are "not ready". I would love to understand this phenomenon. Perhaps my palate is hopelessly pedestrian…I enjoy cheese curls too.
Paradocx was the only winery we visited with a gimmick: wine in a paint can. They offered red and wine table style wines in a multi-bottle paint can arrangement instead of the box. I picked up the Whitewash wine in a paint can for anticipated family visits and a bottle of the 2006 Leverage, which I thought was the most superior of the wines I tasted that were already bottled.
Our next winery was pure fun. The Kreutz Creek vineyards are located on a family home site in West Grove. The vibe is basement converted into tasting room; it's no muss, no fuss and very relaxed. The family was working pouring the wines for tasting. I have to say, there were so many wines that I was feeling pretty happy by the time we got to the barrel tasting.
We tasted Vidal Blanc, Stainless Steel Aged Chardonnay and barrel aged chardonnay. The difference between the stainless aged wine and the wine aged in a barrel is that the one aged in steel should have a more "buttery" and less "oaky" flavor. I agree that the steel aged wines are less oaky, but for the most part, I think I just don't care for chardonnay. It does something in the back of my jaw that I simply don't like.
We moved on to the Proprietor's Red, the Wickerton Red, the Chamboursin, and the Cabernet Franc. I think these wines were simply too dry for my palate. But I think the crowning event of the tasting at this winery was the barrel tasting. In this tasting, we sampled three of the same wines at different stages. Even after all the wine I had consumed, I could absolutely taste the difference. We started with the Kordeaux, which was a little oaky for my taste. Then we moved on to the Kordeau Reserve, which I liked better because the berry flavor was more pronounced and the wine felt "lighter" on my palate. The final Kordeaux was right out of the barrel. This wine was definitely lighter and fruitier – truly my favorite, but alas not to be consumed this year. We were also able to sign the barrel. (Berger kitty, we miss you every day.)
The Kirkpatricks were not done with us yet. Where would we be without desert wine? We sampled Niagara, which was very grapey and reminiscent of Manichevitz and the Ruby K Port, which we sampled with dark chocolate. They had me at chocolate. I envisioned a very adult milkshake made with Ruby K Port and raw milk ice cream. In my opinion, this was the most fun of all the wineries. It was relaxed, unpretentious and I really got the sense that they wanted you to enjoy their wine. After all, life is short. We'll be back!
Our last stop was unplanned, but recommended by one of our fellow wine travelers from Penn's Woods. Patone Cellers in West Grove is not officially open yet, but they would have been remiss to lose out on this promotion opportunity. After circling West Grove farm country for 20 minutes, one of us had the bright idea to call. Sure enough, the address on our passport was wrong and we had practically passed the place twice. We finally arrived at what looked like a suburban ranch home fronted by a wine barrel with a hand written sign tacked to it. This must be the place! We wandered into a tasting room located in the garage. It felt very underground. But the place was pretty full and the folks at Patone welcomed us with barrel tastings and snacks. We sampled their 2009 oaked Chardonnay, a lovely 2008 La Fleur Blanc, and a 2008 Sauvignon Blanc. We sampled a Sangiovese from the barrel, which was not scheduled to be ready until 2014 – I could be anywhere by then, but really, it was delicious just as it was. We also sampled the Merlot and a Carmenere. I was too taken by the Sangiovese to really care about the last two wines. But this tasting was fun too, because we really felt as though we were in on the ground floor. You could buy wine, but it was cash only. If you wanted to make other arrangements, you could call Mario the wine maker. How cool is that? We were even treated to some local Philly gangland color. Some dude showed up in a stretch limo with his lieutenant and a Chiquita who clearly had some strange ideas about wine-tasting giddy-up. Sweetie, no one goes to wine tastings in Pennsylvania on Palm Sunday afternoon dressed in fur-trimmed leather. Dial-back on the comare vibe.
Currently the Patone Cellars does not have a vineyard. They are buying grapes from area vineyards and mixing their own. Reports are mixed as to whether or not they will buy their own land, but even if they do, they won't have produce from their own vineyards for years. Don't let that stop you, the wine is just fine.
And so that wraps up our first foray into wine tasting in Pennsylvania wine country. I had no idea we had such a rich wine heritage here. It was enlightening and a pleasure. See you next year at the Barrels on the Brandywine. I have some wine to get through between now and then…
We were the first to arrive at the Penn's Woods Vineyard and Winery in Chadds Ford. It was off the main road and located among rolling hills and horse farms. We filed into the quaint converted farm house and took our places at the bar where we sampled Traminette, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and the "No Name" rose. I preferred the Traminette a fruity and playful wine and the rose. I don't usually prefer roses at all because they are too sweet, but the balance of sweetness of this rose tasted correct to me. It's a perfect summer wine for out on the porch.
We moved on to the reds and we sampled the Merlot and the Ameritage. I am less able to tolerate some of the heavy flavors of the reds these days, but the Ameritage worked for me. Note the lack of fancy wine lingo here, there's what tastes good to me and what does not.
There were vendors offering flavored olive oils and aged balsamic vinegars, but I am not a connoisseur of either of these things, so I passed. We wandered away with a few bottles of lovely wine and a complimentary tote bag.
Our next vineyard was Paradocx. According to our wine companions, they had built up the vineyard quite a bit since their last visit a few years ago. This event was one of the few we visited with a theme, "Cheeseburgers in Paradocx". Unfortunately, the weather did not lend itself to organic grilled hamburgers and sausages on the patio. However, Paradocx was kind enough to allow us to camp out in one of their tasting rooms and eat our picnic lunch in warmth and comfort.
At this winery, we enjoyed a barrel tasting of chardonnay and merlot. I must have an uncultured palate because on the whole, I most enjoy the wines from the barrel that are "not ready". I would love to understand this phenomenon. Perhaps my palate is hopelessly pedestrian…I enjoy cheese curls too.
Paradocx was the only winery we visited with a gimmick: wine in a paint can. They offered red and wine table style wines in a multi-bottle paint can arrangement instead of the box. I picked up the Whitewash wine in a paint can for anticipated family visits and a bottle of the 2006 Leverage, which I thought was the most superior of the wines I tasted that were already bottled.
Our next winery was pure fun. The Kreutz Creek vineyards are located on a family home site in West Grove. The vibe is basement converted into tasting room; it's no muss, no fuss and very relaxed. The family was working pouring the wines for tasting. I have to say, there were so many wines that I was feeling pretty happy by the time we got to the barrel tasting.
We tasted Vidal Blanc, Stainless Steel Aged Chardonnay and barrel aged chardonnay. The difference between the stainless aged wine and the wine aged in a barrel is that the one aged in steel should have a more "buttery" and less "oaky" flavor. I agree that the steel aged wines are less oaky, but for the most part, I think I just don't care for chardonnay. It does something in the back of my jaw that I simply don't like.
We moved on to the Proprietor's Red, the Wickerton Red, the Chamboursin, and the Cabernet Franc. I think these wines were simply too dry for my palate. But I think the crowning event of the tasting at this winery was the barrel tasting. In this tasting, we sampled three of the same wines at different stages. Even after all the wine I had consumed, I could absolutely taste the difference. We started with the Kordeaux, which was a little oaky for my taste. Then we moved on to the Kordeau Reserve, which I liked better because the berry flavor was more pronounced and the wine felt "lighter" on my palate. The final Kordeaux was right out of the barrel. This wine was definitely lighter and fruitier – truly my favorite, but alas not to be consumed this year. We were also able to sign the barrel. (Berger kitty, we miss you every day.)
The Kirkpatricks were not done with us yet. Where would we be without desert wine? We sampled Niagara, which was very grapey and reminiscent of Manichevitz and the Ruby K Port, which we sampled with dark chocolate. They had me at chocolate. I envisioned a very adult milkshake made with Ruby K Port and raw milk ice cream. In my opinion, this was the most fun of all the wineries. It was relaxed, unpretentious and I really got the sense that they wanted you to enjoy their wine. After all, life is short. We'll be back!
Our last stop was unplanned, but recommended by one of our fellow wine travelers from Penn's Woods. Patone Cellers in West Grove is not officially open yet, but they would have been remiss to lose out on this promotion opportunity. After circling West Grove farm country for 20 minutes, one of us had the bright idea to call. Sure enough, the address on our passport was wrong and we had practically passed the place twice. We finally arrived at what looked like a suburban ranch home fronted by a wine barrel with a hand written sign tacked to it. This must be the place! We wandered into a tasting room located in the garage. It felt very underground. But the place was pretty full and the folks at Patone welcomed us with barrel tastings and snacks. We sampled their 2009 oaked Chardonnay, a lovely 2008 La Fleur Blanc, and a 2008 Sauvignon Blanc. We sampled a Sangiovese from the barrel, which was not scheduled to be ready until 2014 – I could be anywhere by then, but really, it was delicious just as it was. We also sampled the Merlot and a Carmenere. I was too taken by the Sangiovese to really care about the last two wines. But this tasting was fun too, because we really felt as though we were in on the ground floor. You could buy wine, but it was cash only. If you wanted to make other arrangements, you could call Mario the wine maker. How cool is that? We were even treated to some local Philly gangland color. Some dude showed up in a stretch limo with his lieutenant and a Chiquita who clearly had some strange ideas about wine-tasting giddy-up. Sweetie, no one goes to wine tastings in Pennsylvania on Palm Sunday afternoon dressed in fur-trimmed leather. Dial-back on the comare vibe.
Currently the Patone Cellars does not have a vineyard. They are buying grapes from area vineyards and mixing their own. Reports are mixed as to whether or not they will buy their own land, but even if they do, they won't have produce from their own vineyards for years. Don't let that stop you, the wine is just fine.
And so that wraps up our first foray into wine tasting in Pennsylvania wine country. I had no idea we had such a rich wine heritage here. It was enlightening and a pleasure. See you next year at the Barrels on the Brandywine. I have some wine to get through between now and then…
Friday, April 2, 2010
Barrels on the Brandywine, Part One
A clear, sunny 70 degrees; nice enough to be in shirtsleeves, but not warm enough to need a fan, you couldn't have ordered up a nicer day! On this perfect day, Mr. DS, Dear Schoolmate, her Beloved, and I set out to sample the Brandywine Valley's grapey offerings.
Our first stop was Twin Brook Winery in Gap, PA. Nestled behind an historic farmhouse, the tasting house was at the top of a long flight of stairs. The wine bar was ready for us though. As the last tour wandered downstairs for a barrel tasting, we bellied up to the ornate bar and sampled the offerings. We started with whites and worked our way to the reds. Some where pretty good, others we just ok, but every drop was a new adventure.
Since we wanted a barrel tasting, we headed down to the cellar where Tim Jobe, the wine maker answered our questions and shared the upcoming reds. Most notable was the Merlot. The best way I can describe the taste is that I felt a smile happen at the back of my throat. We all agreed we wanted to be on the list when this Merlot was ready. Incidentally, Tim said that he lost his wine assistant, but unfortunately, he wasn't looking to replace him. Had anyone told me in high school that a chemistry degree could be used in wine making, I would have treated the whole affair with more seriousness. I rediscovered a love and affinity for chemistry when I was taking classes for nursing school. Alas, yet another career that shall never be.
We enjoyed a picnic lunch of Tim's homemade gumbo, and bread and cheese brought by Dear Schoolmate. We reminisced, shared stories, and laughed ourselves silly in the sun. Mr. DS took pictures of the vineyard, and then we headed off to the next stop.
Our next stop was Black Walnut Winery, located in a repurposed historic building on Business 30 in Coatesville. With its exposed beams and original hardwood floors, this building just cries out for an intimate reception or party. It's a wonderful space. We were provided with 7 tastings and again, we started with the whites and moved along to the reds. It should be noted that this winery does not grow its own grapes. They purchase from a grower and blend based on the quality of what's available. I walked away with a lovely half dry Pinot Gris. I'm looking forward to trying this wine with risotto.
Our last winery had the most surprising and winning environment. Located at the end of a residential block in Coatesville, the Stargazer's Vineyard featured sweeping landscapes and a repurposed building with a dramatic glass front. Here again, we were had 7 tastings and were given bottle cap "tokens" to keep track. For me, the star of this show was the sparkling brut. It was very crisp and dry with no oaky aftertaste at the back of the throat. I could have used all my tokens just tasting that wine, but there were other intriguing options. There was a Tinto, a red desert wine and a Pinot Noir that found their way home with me.
One of the unique features of the Stargazer's tasting was the inclusion of local producers. There was a cheese monger featuring raw milk cheeses and a vendor from Fat Spike Lavender. I went home with two cheeses and the most heavenly lavender spray that I can use on linens and skin. It really smells like you are walking through a field of lavender.
My car was transformed into a wine-mobile, and by the end of the day, the trunk was full of wine and cheese and loveliness. We were tired and sun-baked but absolutely stoked about all the glorious wine we tasted – all without having to buy a plane ticket!
Our first stop was Twin Brook Winery in Gap, PA. Nestled behind an historic farmhouse, the tasting house was at the top of a long flight of stairs. The wine bar was ready for us though. As the last tour wandered downstairs for a barrel tasting, we bellied up to the ornate bar and sampled the offerings. We started with whites and worked our way to the reds. Some where pretty good, others we just ok, but every drop was a new adventure.
Since we wanted a barrel tasting, we headed down to the cellar where Tim Jobe, the wine maker answered our questions and shared the upcoming reds. Most notable was the Merlot. The best way I can describe the taste is that I felt a smile happen at the back of my throat. We all agreed we wanted to be on the list when this Merlot was ready. Incidentally, Tim said that he lost his wine assistant, but unfortunately, he wasn't looking to replace him. Had anyone told me in high school that a chemistry degree could be used in wine making, I would have treated the whole affair with more seriousness. I rediscovered a love and affinity for chemistry when I was taking classes for nursing school. Alas, yet another career that shall never be.
We enjoyed a picnic lunch of Tim's homemade gumbo, and bread and cheese brought by Dear Schoolmate. We reminisced, shared stories, and laughed ourselves silly in the sun. Mr. DS took pictures of the vineyard, and then we headed off to the next stop.
Our next stop was Black Walnut Winery, located in a repurposed historic building on Business 30 in Coatesville. With its exposed beams and original hardwood floors, this building just cries out for an intimate reception or party. It's a wonderful space. We were provided with 7 tastings and again, we started with the whites and moved along to the reds. It should be noted that this winery does not grow its own grapes. They purchase from a grower and blend based on the quality of what's available. I walked away with a lovely half dry Pinot Gris. I'm looking forward to trying this wine with risotto.
Our last winery had the most surprising and winning environment. Located at the end of a residential block in Coatesville, the Stargazer's Vineyard featured sweeping landscapes and a repurposed building with a dramatic glass front. Here again, we were had 7 tastings and were given bottle cap "tokens" to keep track. For me, the star of this show was the sparkling brut. It was very crisp and dry with no oaky aftertaste at the back of the throat. I could have used all my tokens just tasting that wine, but there were other intriguing options. There was a Tinto, a red desert wine and a Pinot Noir that found their way home with me.
One of the unique features of the Stargazer's tasting was the inclusion of local producers. There was a cheese monger featuring raw milk cheeses and a vendor from Fat Spike Lavender. I went home with two cheeses and the most heavenly lavender spray that I can use on linens and skin. It really smells like you are walking through a field of lavender.
My car was transformed into a wine-mobile, and by the end of the day, the trunk was full of wine and cheese and loveliness. We were tired and sun-baked but absolutely stoked about all the glorious wine we tasted – all without having to buy a plane ticket!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
2nd Annual Nursing Spectrum Networking Event Review
Once again I found myself heading to Dave & Buster's in Philadelphia for the Nursing Spectrum Networking Event. After last year's disappointing experience, I was doubtful about giving it a second chance. But as fate would have it, I was so annoyed at my minders at my current job, I thought it would be a good attitude adjustment to feel as though I at least had options.
Well, my experience this year was somewhat different than last year and I was pleasantly surprised. I think the key to getting the most out of these events is to arrive early. If they open the doors at 8:00am, be there by 8:15. I had my pick of parking in the garage. The line for registration was not awful; I waited for about 10 minutes tops and since I was one of the first 500 registrants, I received my Nursing Spectrum tote bag. I had not pre-registered, but I was able to register on site, and that line was actually shorter than the line for those who had pre-registered.
The disadvantage of arriving so early is that most of the recruiters are not present yet, so you are sort of obligated to attend the Continuing Education session. I was able to find seating, even though the session was crowded. This morning's topic was Case Management. I decided to attend because while I have heard of case management, I didn't really know what it was all about. The speaker was Catherine Mullahy and she was excellent in spite of the audio problems with the microphone cutting in and out. It was obvious that Mullahy was a seasoned presenter. Her slide presentation served to organize the material she was presenting, but she was able to respond to audience feedback without missing a beat.
In a nutshell, she explained that case management was about connecting the patients with the services they needed at the appropriate time and at the best cost. So case management is something many of us do without being nurses. If you have had a sick family member and have coordinated the doctors and appointments and home care and medications and follow-up therapy, and wrangled with insurance companies and other service providers, you have done case management.
One of the most interesting points she made was how patients with similar diagnoses might not need the same level of case management. Mullahy used the illustration of how a woman, age 50 diagnosed with cancer, having excellent medical coverage and a supportive family, being treated at a University hospital with access to Nurse Practitioners might need limited case management, if any. On the other hand, another 50 year old woman diagnosed with cancer might have limited medical coverage, might be the sole support for her family, might be treated in a clinic-based health care system where she sees a different doctor every time, and English is not her first language. This woman would need more case management because at the very least, she will need someone to make sure that any communication barrier between her and her health care providers is addressed.
She also explained how case managers in hospitals are often placed in serious ethical dilemmas because in most instances, the case manager is supposed to help get that patient out of the hospital at the lowest cost, but that might not be the best for the patient. As nurses, we have an ethical responsibility to always place the patient first. Because of this ethical responsibility, it has been the traditional for nurses to be kept out of the loop when it comes to how much it costs to treat a patient. However, if a nurse case manager is responsible for keeping costs as low as possible, then there is an ethical dilemma. You're setting up that patient for a return visit to the hospital, which means you're placing them at risk for nosocomial infections, poly-pharmacy, medical errors, and diminished autonomy. Mullahy's presentation raised my awareness and gave me something to think about.
As an aside, I have to once again call out my colleagues for some rudeness that I witnessed. A woman came into to the presentation late (happens all the time) and tried to sit in an empty seat in front of me. The woman sitting next to the empty seat got all huffy and said "there are other empty seats, you know". Yes there may be other seats in the room, but your empty seat is right near the door and it's silly to expect that someone is going to schlep across a room, in search of an empty seat. Get over yourself.
On a more positive note, I did see more recruiters than last year, although maybe that was because I got there early. There was some diversity in recruiting as well in that not everyone was strictly hands on nursing. I was able to speak with some recruiters who seemed to be genuinely interested in my experience set. So that was a good thing. I even ran into a colleague with whom I attended classes when I was taking my nursing school pre-requisites. It was good to learn we both got through after our paths diverged; we had both traveled a long road.
Overall, I give it a B+. The lessons learned were: you don't have to pre-register, get there early so you can get convenient parking, get your bag, and so you can take advantage of the free Continuing Education seminar.
Well, my experience this year was somewhat different than last year and I was pleasantly surprised. I think the key to getting the most out of these events is to arrive early. If they open the doors at 8:00am, be there by 8:15. I had my pick of parking in the garage. The line for registration was not awful; I waited for about 10 minutes tops and since I was one of the first 500 registrants, I received my Nursing Spectrum tote bag. I had not pre-registered, but I was able to register on site, and that line was actually shorter than the line for those who had pre-registered.
The disadvantage of arriving so early is that most of the recruiters are not present yet, so you are sort of obligated to attend the Continuing Education session. I was able to find seating, even though the session was crowded. This morning's topic was Case Management. I decided to attend because while I have heard of case management, I didn't really know what it was all about. The speaker was Catherine Mullahy and she was excellent in spite of the audio problems with the microphone cutting in and out. It was obvious that Mullahy was a seasoned presenter. Her slide presentation served to organize the material she was presenting, but she was able to respond to audience feedback without missing a beat.
In a nutshell, she explained that case management was about connecting the patients with the services they needed at the appropriate time and at the best cost. So case management is something many of us do without being nurses. If you have had a sick family member and have coordinated the doctors and appointments and home care and medications and follow-up therapy, and wrangled with insurance companies and other service providers, you have done case management.
One of the most interesting points she made was how patients with similar diagnoses might not need the same level of case management. Mullahy used the illustration of how a woman, age 50 diagnosed with cancer, having excellent medical coverage and a supportive family, being treated at a University hospital with access to Nurse Practitioners might need limited case management, if any. On the other hand, another 50 year old woman diagnosed with cancer might have limited medical coverage, might be the sole support for her family, might be treated in a clinic-based health care system where she sees a different doctor every time, and English is not her first language. This woman would need more case management because at the very least, she will need someone to make sure that any communication barrier between her and her health care providers is addressed.
She also explained how case managers in hospitals are often placed in serious ethical dilemmas because in most instances, the case manager is supposed to help get that patient out of the hospital at the lowest cost, but that might not be the best for the patient. As nurses, we have an ethical responsibility to always place the patient first. Because of this ethical responsibility, it has been the traditional for nurses to be kept out of the loop when it comes to how much it costs to treat a patient. However, if a nurse case manager is responsible for keeping costs as low as possible, then there is an ethical dilemma. You're setting up that patient for a return visit to the hospital, which means you're placing them at risk for nosocomial infections, poly-pharmacy, medical errors, and diminished autonomy. Mullahy's presentation raised my awareness and gave me something to think about.
As an aside, I have to once again call out my colleagues for some rudeness that I witnessed. A woman came into to the presentation late (happens all the time) and tried to sit in an empty seat in front of me. The woman sitting next to the empty seat got all huffy and said "there are other empty seats, you know". Yes there may be other seats in the room, but your empty seat is right near the door and it's silly to expect that someone is going to schlep across a room, in search of an empty seat. Get over yourself.
On a more positive note, I did see more recruiters than last year, although maybe that was because I got there early. There was some diversity in recruiting as well in that not everyone was strictly hands on nursing. I was able to speak with some recruiters who seemed to be genuinely interested in my experience set. So that was a good thing. I even ran into a colleague with whom I attended classes when I was taking my nursing school pre-requisites. It was good to learn we both got through after our paths diverged; we had both traveled a long road.
Overall, I give it a B+. The lessons learned were: you don't have to pre-register, get there early so you can get convenient parking, get your bag, and so you can take advantage of the free Continuing Education seminar.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Friday Night, Saturday, Sunday
I am grateful that my life is fairly free of drama not of my own making and is completely free of earthquakes.
Weekends begin on Friday evenings especially when there is no work obligation on Saturday. I got home fairly late because I didn't leave work until after 4:30. By the time I got home, relayed the day's events to Mr. DS, checked email and decided to go out to dinner, it was after 5:30. Then it was the decision of where to go. I was still feeling full from a big lunch and Mr. DS was approaching the level of hunger where he doesn't even taste what he's eating. The usual suspects were proffered. It was decided to visit the Star diner. I should have suggested the Franconia Heritage Diner. We have been meaning to try it and I'm betting it's heavy on the Mennonite cooking. But alas, I overate at the Star and was so uncomfortable afterward that it occurred to me to purge. I did not. My back was bothering me so I did some yoga stretching and ended up dozing off. Mr. DS put on "How it's Made" to kill time before the weekly ritual of "The Soup". They should bottle that stuff, it's better than Ambien.
Woke up about 5 minutes before "The Soup", and Mr. DS was fast asleep. I did not wake him up but Watched part of the show, then decided to wake him up to go to bed. Went back to bed and fell asleep with the TV on. Did not make it to "Chelsey Lately".
Woke up Saturday morning on the late side. Actually woke up because of the damn cat yowling, then fell back to sleep. Woke up again and decided that since it was a nice day, we should take a little drive. Mr. DS wanted to know if I had a plan for the day. Berger's remains are ready at the vet, we need to go get them and then I wanted to go to Market Fair. Mr. DS's phone goes off. A job has failed and he needs to log in to work and fix it. When all is said and done, we don't end up leaving until 10:30.
We drive to Trenton. My favorite gas station is not open on Saturdays. I wonder if they observe a Sabbath or if business is so off on Saturdays because there is no train station traffic, it is not worth being open. It occurs to me that this is probably the last time I am coming to this vet and to this gas station, where I bought gas for so many years. (I have a whole gas and mileage database starting back from 2004). I collect Berger's remains while Mr. DS stays in the car. This is the last time I am coming here, I think. And then I think about how most of the time, you never realize that you're never going to do a particular thing again. It would be nice if we could be more mindful of those lasts. And then I remember that I still need to write Dr. K and his staff a thank you note. I think he disagreed with me about not putting Bergers to sleep the last time I brought him in, but I thought it would have been wrong to do it without Mr. DS there and I really believe that it is better to let your pet pass at home surrounded by his people, assuming that he is not in pain. And I don't think Bergers was in pain.
So I put the little green bag containing Berger's remains on the floor of the back seat, next to my sack of overdue library books and then we get gas at the Mountain View BP and I asked Mr. DS to give me directions to Princeton without getting on I95. He GPS'd us all the way there. On the way, I recognized the road as one I had been on during on of the blizzards of 2001. I knew that I95 would be a mess so I decided to slink down one of the Princeton side roads that I used to use when I was delivering flowers. It was probably not a good idea to do that, given the poor visibility and my car was new but very light weight in the back and very bad under slippery conditions and the tires it came with were instruments of death when the road was icy. But I made it home in one piece. I think it took about two hours to get home. I had the radio turned to the talk radio station out of NYC, 770 WABC. It's known for having all the right-wing commentators on it, but I always turn to that station when I'm feeling anxious because it's the station my parents used to have on in the car when we would be driving to NYC or Connecticut on a Saturday afternoon. It was much less right-wingy then. There was a host on Saturday named Lynn Samuels who was decidedly not right-wingy. I remember that she was very funny and I used to love, love, love listening to her show where she would talk about all the crazy things New York City politicians would do. Or she would talk about some crazy thing that was going on in her apartment building and ask people to call in and share their opinions. I thought it would be the coolest thing to be a New Yorker like Lynn Samuels. My folks would listen to her show and they would laugh along with her too and it was one of those nice moments that you remember with your parents on a car trip, when things are calm and nice and nobody's arguing or longing to be somewhere else when there's no possibility of that happening.
So we finally get to Princeton via the back road and I point out to Mr. DS the restaurants that I have eaten in that he's never been to and I point out the houses where I used to have pet sitting clients and I think about how they are probably not there anymore, just like I am not there anymore and they probably wouldn't remember who I was, even though I had a key to their house and collected their mail and turned their lights on and off and fed their cats and cleaned their litter boxes. I would spend time in their houses after I finished what I needed to do with their pets just sitting on the couch or at their kitchen table wondering what it would be like to be a part of this family or what would it be like to know them as friends. Would they invite me for the 4th of July? Or did they rent a place at the beach in the summer and have friends visit for the weekend? I would pet their cats if they were friendly and wonder what they saw. If the cats were not interested in me, I would look at the photos on the walls and on the shelves, wondering if some day I would ever have a house where some pet sitter might come and look at my pictures and wonder about my life and what it would be like if they knew me or were part of my family.
We get to the Mexican restaurant in a strip mall in Princeton. This was one of the first places I ever came to when I moved to New Jersey. It was small and safe and full of quaint little shops like the stationary store where you could get lost for hours looking at the stickers and invitations and fancy wrapping paper. The rotation of shops has changed, but it has remained something you only find in a place like Princeton, which is full of people who don't want to be bothered by the convenience. This Mexican place has been there since before I started coming to this mall, but I never went there until I was taken as a guest by one of the volunteers who worked with me at Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic. She was a very sweet lady, who was married to a very important man over at Merrill Lynch. She didn't hold a job outside the home and she had no children, so she volunteered a lot. She was always happy and relaxed. She's the type of person that trouble does not bother and one night she invited me to come to dinner with her, since her husband wasn't going to be home and she took me to this little hole in the wall Mexican place, but the food was very good and I liked it a lot. And she and I talked about all kinds of things, like how I got to New Jersey, and we gossiped about the politics of RFBD and how she would like to do more, but she didn't want to feel like she was buying her way in because there was already a lot of old money who were on the board and sort of wary of new comers.
So Mr. DS and I ate our lunch at this restaurant and I remembered all this and I wondered about KF and I hoped she was OK and that her husband didn’t get shafted too badly when all that stuff happened with Merrill Lynch. She was a nice lady and I think all she wanted to do was help people and that's incredibly hard to do when you have to work to support yourself. Over lunch, I told Mr. DS about the latest machinations of my mother with regards to my aunt and their brother and I felt myself getting angry about the whole situation because it was stupid. If you overheard this story from a stranger, you would say that the situation is totally stupid and that the woman and her stupid plan involving a lie is the dumbest thing you've ever heard. But it's not someone else's overheard story that you will leave at the restaurant like your wadded up napkin; this is a story that will come back to haunt me in a few months or next year and I will wish I had taken some other steps to prepare myself for what will happen.
And then we get into the car to drive to the Market Fair, but I'm hoping to stop at the Small World coffee for some awesome plain old coffee. But it is a nice day and there is NO parking on Nassau St. In fact it is teeming with people trying to cross the street and being unable to see around the snow banks and cars are parked awkwardly because of all the snow that is piled next to the sidewalks. So I hope maybe I can get to the other Small World, the one I used to go to when I worked at the Princeton Unit of RFBD and I would get a large coffee with milk and a bagel with butter and orange marmalade, which I don't even particularly like, but something in the universe told me to have the marmalade with their bagel and butter it was one of my favorite meals ever. But alas the traffic on Nassau was terrible and I could see that Witherspoon St. was even worse so I skipped it. Maybe I will have another chance for Small World coffee the next time I came to the dentist.
So we proceeded to Market Fair down Alexander St. which runs through the university campus next to where Albert Einstein lived and the world's least recognizable Wawa next to the Princeton train station. And Soonja's café was still there. I thought I took Mr. DS there one time, but he said that I never did. Maybe I thought he wouldn't like it, so I never took him there. They have the best yam noodles. I think he'd like it now.
So arriving at Market Fair there is no parking, even though I circle around, at last parking hear the Big Fish restaurant, which I am surprised to find is still there. Mr. DS says that we ate there at least once when we were dating. And I agree that we went there at least once, but I don't remember going with him there a lot because they are mainly a fish restaurant (as the name implies) and Mr. DS will eat fish but he doesn't crave it the way I can when I want a really beautiful salmon. I went there more with girlfriends like SG and JU. It was more of a chick place to eat. So we go into Market Fair and everybody must be in the movies because there is really nobody in the mall, certainly the parking lot suggested that there would be more people shopping. But really it was mostly families with strollers not paying attention where they were going.
So I went to Anthropologie and bought my candles using my birthday discount and then I suggested a coffee at Starbucks which would be far inferior to the one we would have gotten at Small World, but I felt bad for making DS come out to this stupid mall with me. So we stood on a long line and got our coffees and walked over to the Barnes and Noble so I could use use the ladies room. And Mr. DS stood in the stacks holding two coffees while he waited for me. And I came out of the ladies room and tried to be all cute and pick-up artist and said "do you come here often?" and he said "no. I could never pick anyone up here, so I stopped trying. But this place used to have the best computer book section and I used to come all the way out here just for that." So we wandered around the store, losing each other then finding each other. Then we decided it was time to go since we were not even looking at anything anymore.
And then we drove home and on the drive, I felt so sleepy, even after the coffee, but the sun was bright in my eyes and I was warm from the heated seat and I opened a window to let some fresh air in.
We stopped at the craft store so I could return some yarn that I did not end up using for Mr. DS's afghan. And I picked up a new crochet needle. And Mr. DS stayed in the car and surfed the internet while I did my errand. And finally we got home and I gave Mr. DS the green bag to carry upstairs. And I wanted to cry, but I couldn't.
On the couch I started a new crochet project using new yarn that I thought was pretty nice. And I actually read all the instructions before I started so there would be no surprises. But the project is really simple and the instructions were very brief so I could not give myself that much credit.
Mr. DS made "emergency pizza" for dinner. It refers to the frozen pizza we keep on hand for when we get a little hungry but don't want anything too big. The pizza was tasty, but the crust hadn't crisped enough to my liking. That didn't stop me from eating it and following it with some Whole Foods Key Lime soda.
We watched Star Trek from our Netflix cue and it was better than I thought it would be. Even though there were enormous plot holes, I liked it well enough. And then we went to bed.
Woke up Sunday to the cat yowling again. At around 7am I suggested that we go to the gym. We were the first ones there and we were able to do our circuit with no waiting and then do cardio. I started my cardio on the Stairmaster because there was a woman on the bike next to Mr. DS, but when she finished, I got on that bike and sat in her warm seat and probably her sweat. She was one of those who didn't wipe. I never think I am going to be able to finish the cardio part of the workout, partly because it is boring and partly because my heart rate tends to climb quickly and until I am comfortable with that rate, I want to stop. But I know if I keep going, I will become accustomed to it and it will be OK.
After the gym, we went to the diner I like best for breakfast because the waitresses remember who you are even if they don't know your name and they bring you coffee and refills without you having to ask them. If I were going to have a diner, this is the kind of diner I would want to have, and these are the kinds of waitresses I would want working there. The only serve breakfast and lunch, so you can't take the place for granted...you can't just show up any old time. We discuss the plot holes of last night's movie and try to convince each other of who is more of a Star Trek nerd. Of course Mr. DS wins because he remembers more details about the show than I do. But when I was like 10 and 11, the world rose and set by Star Trek and my parents were concerned about my obsession. I paid the tab and tipped the waitress 30% because it’s a small bill there and I figure they are worth every penny they get there. The Koffee Korner. We didn't go there for a long time after we moved here. We always joked about going there and finally we did one day, and since then, we wondered what took us so long.
I drove us home and I took a shower and did a load of laundry for both of us. Then I worked on my crochet project a little more and called my friend who had left a message on Saturday. I yakked with her for about an hour while Mr. DS took a shower and got ready to go out. We were going to look at two houses with the realtor that afternoon and while I yakked on the phone, I mapped out how to get there. There were three other houses that Mr. DS had found and he wanted to do a drive by. So I mapped them out in relation to where we were going to meet the realtor. I got off the phone and I think I committed us to do something on Friday night this week, which is cool because we don't often have anything to do on Friday nights. And then we drove out to look at the three houses and then we went to wait for the realtor at the house we were supposed to see. But we were early or she was late, so we got some coffee and abysmal snack cakes at the Wawa on the Pottstown Pike (how many of them do you suppose that there are on the Pottstown Pike?). We met the realtor back at the house and we looked at that house and another house and we talked about another house that we had already seen and about another house that we may want to see and about the houses we are planning to see later in the week. And we all ate the Dove chocolate candies that the homeowner had left out for us and then we left.
On the way home, I thought there was a 5-Guys burger place in Collegeville, but I got it wrong. It was #1 Burgers instead and it really sucked because the service was slow and the food came out cold and they got our orders wrong, even though there were three people behind the counter and not too many people in the restaurant. And the burgers weren't that hot anyway, 5-Guys was way better. And I said that I felt bad for screwing up the burger dinner, we should have gone to Specks if it was open, or even the other Mexican place that is pretty good in Collegeville. But Mr. DS was cool about it. He said that we were not wrong in assuming the food would be good because there were two cop cars out in front of the place.
And we drove home with a big yellow moon hanging over the road. And I coasted in neutral a lot of the way home because there are a lot of hills that will carry you a long way if you just take the car out of gear and let it roll.
Weekends begin on Friday evenings especially when there is no work obligation on Saturday. I got home fairly late because I didn't leave work until after 4:30. By the time I got home, relayed the day's events to Mr. DS, checked email and decided to go out to dinner, it was after 5:30. Then it was the decision of where to go. I was still feeling full from a big lunch and Mr. DS was approaching the level of hunger where he doesn't even taste what he's eating. The usual suspects were proffered. It was decided to visit the Star diner. I should have suggested the Franconia Heritage Diner. We have been meaning to try it and I'm betting it's heavy on the Mennonite cooking. But alas, I overate at the Star and was so uncomfortable afterward that it occurred to me to purge. I did not. My back was bothering me so I did some yoga stretching and ended up dozing off. Mr. DS put on "How it's Made" to kill time before the weekly ritual of "The Soup". They should bottle that stuff, it's better than Ambien.
Woke up about 5 minutes before "The Soup", and Mr. DS was fast asleep. I did not wake him up but Watched part of the show, then decided to wake him up to go to bed. Went back to bed and fell asleep with the TV on. Did not make it to "Chelsey Lately".
Woke up Saturday morning on the late side. Actually woke up because of the damn cat yowling, then fell back to sleep. Woke up again and decided that since it was a nice day, we should take a little drive. Mr. DS wanted to know if I had a plan for the day. Berger's remains are ready at the vet, we need to go get them and then I wanted to go to Market Fair. Mr. DS's phone goes off. A job has failed and he needs to log in to work and fix it. When all is said and done, we don't end up leaving until 10:30.
We drive to Trenton. My favorite gas station is not open on Saturdays. I wonder if they observe a Sabbath or if business is so off on Saturdays because there is no train station traffic, it is not worth being open. It occurs to me that this is probably the last time I am coming to this vet and to this gas station, where I bought gas for so many years. (I have a whole gas and mileage database starting back from 2004). I collect Berger's remains while Mr. DS stays in the car. This is the last time I am coming here, I think. And then I think about how most of the time, you never realize that you're never going to do a particular thing again. It would be nice if we could be more mindful of those lasts. And then I remember that I still need to write Dr. K and his staff a thank you note. I think he disagreed with me about not putting Bergers to sleep the last time I brought him in, but I thought it would have been wrong to do it without Mr. DS there and I really believe that it is better to let your pet pass at home surrounded by his people, assuming that he is not in pain. And I don't think Bergers was in pain.
So I put the little green bag containing Berger's remains on the floor of the back seat, next to my sack of overdue library books and then we get gas at the Mountain View BP and I asked Mr. DS to give me directions to Princeton without getting on I95. He GPS'd us all the way there. On the way, I recognized the road as one I had been on during on of the blizzards of 2001. I knew that I95 would be a mess so I decided to slink down one of the Princeton side roads that I used to use when I was delivering flowers. It was probably not a good idea to do that, given the poor visibility and my car was new but very light weight in the back and very bad under slippery conditions and the tires it came with were instruments of death when the road was icy. But I made it home in one piece. I think it took about two hours to get home. I had the radio turned to the talk radio station out of NYC, 770 WABC. It's known for having all the right-wing commentators on it, but I always turn to that station when I'm feeling anxious because it's the station my parents used to have on in the car when we would be driving to NYC or Connecticut on a Saturday afternoon. It was much less right-wingy then. There was a host on Saturday named Lynn Samuels who was decidedly not right-wingy. I remember that she was very funny and I used to love, love, love listening to her show where she would talk about all the crazy things New York City politicians would do. Or she would talk about some crazy thing that was going on in her apartment building and ask people to call in and share their opinions. I thought it would be the coolest thing to be a New Yorker like Lynn Samuels. My folks would listen to her show and they would laugh along with her too and it was one of those nice moments that you remember with your parents on a car trip, when things are calm and nice and nobody's arguing or longing to be somewhere else when there's no possibility of that happening.
So we finally get to Princeton via the back road and I point out to Mr. DS the restaurants that I have eaten in that he's never been to and I point out the houses where I used to have pet sitting clients and I think about how they are probably not there anymore, just like I am not there anymore and they probably wouldn't remember who I was, even though I had a key to their house and collected their mail and turned their lights on and off and fed their cats and cleaned their litter boxes. I would spend time in their houses after I finished what I needed to do with their pets just sitting on the couch or at their kitchen table wondering what it would be like to be a part of this family or what would it be like to know them as friends. Would they invite me for the 4th of July? Or did they rent a place at the beach in the summer and have friends visit for the weekend? I would pet their cats if they were friendly and wonder what they saw. If the cats were not interested in me, I would look at the photos on the walls and on the shelves, wondering if some day I would ever have a house where some pet sitter might come and look at my pictures and wonder about my life and what it would be like if they knew me or were part of my family.
We get to the Mexican restaurant in a strip mall in Princeton. This was one of the first places I ever came to when I moved to New Jersey. It was small and safe and full of quaint little shops like the stationary store where you could get lost for hours looking at the stickers and invitations and fancy wrapping paper. The rotation of shops has changed, but it has remained something you only find in a place like Princeton, which is full of people who don't want to be bothered by the convenience. This Mexican place has been there since before I started coming to this mall, but I never went there until I was taken as a guest by one of the volunteers who worked with me at Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic. She was a very sweet lady, who was married to a very important man over at Merrill Lynch. She didn't hold a job outside the home and she had no children, so she volunteered a lot. She was always happy and relaxed. She's the type of person that trouble does not bother and one night she invited me to come to dinner with her, since her husband wasn't going to be home and she took me to this little hole in the wall Mexican place, but the food was very good and I liked it a lot. And she and I talked about all kinds of things, like how I got to New Jersey, and we gossiped about the politics of RFBD and how she would like to do more, but she didn't want to feel like she was buying her way in because there was already a lot of old money who were on the board and sort of wary of new comers.
So Mr. DS and I ate our lunch at this restaurant and I remembered all this and I wondered about KF and I hoped she was OK and that her husband didn’t get shafted too badly when all that stuff happened with Merrill Lynch. She was a nice lady and I think all she wanted to do was help people and that's incredibly hard to do when you have to work to support yourself. Over lunch, I told Mr. DS about the latest machinations of my mother with regards to my aunt and their brother and I felt myself getting angry about the whole situation because it was stupid. If you overheard this story from a stranger, you would say that the situation is totally stupid and that the woman and her stupid plan involving a lie is the dumbest thing you've ever heard. But it's not someone else's overheard story that you will leave at the restaurant like your wadded up napkin; this is a story that will come back to haunt me in a few months or next year and I will wish I had taken some other steps to prepare myself for what will happen.
And then we get into the car to drive to the Market Fair, but I'm hoping to stop at the Small World coffee for some awesome plain old coffee. But it is a nice day and there is NO parking on Nassau St. In fact it is teeming with people trying to cross the street and being unable to see around the snow banks and cars are parked awkwardly because of all the snow that is piled next to the sidewalks. So I hope maybe I can get to the other Small World, the one I used to go to when I worked at the Princeton Unit of RFBD and I would get a large coffee with milk and a bagel with butter and orange marmalade, which I don't even particularly like, but something in the universe told me to have the marmalade with their bagel and butter it was one of my favorite meals ever. But alas the traffic on Nassau was terrible and I could see that Witherspoon St. was even worse so I skipped it. Maybe I will have another chance for Small World coffee the next time I came to the dentist.
So we proceeded to Market Fair down Alexander St. which runs through the university campus next to where Albert Einstein lived and the world's least recognizable Wawa next to the Princeton train station. And Soonja's café was still there. I thought I took Mr. DS there one time, but he said that I never did. Maybe I thought he wouldn't like it, so I never took him there. They have the best yam noodles. I think he'd like it now.
So arriving at Market Fair there is no parking, even though I circle around, at last parking hear the Big Fish restaurant, which I am surprised to find is still there. Mr. DS says that we ate there at least once when we were dating. And I agree that we went there at least once, but I don't remember going with him there a lot because they are mainly a fish restaurant (as the name implies) and Mr. DS will eat fish but he doesn't crave it the way I can when I want a really beautiful salmon. I went there more with girlfriends like SG and JU. It was more of a chick place to eat. So we go into Market Fair and everybody must be in the movies because there is really nobody in the mall, certainly the parking lot suggested that there would be more people shopping. But really it was mostly families with strollers not paying attention where they were going.
So I went to Anthropologie and bought my candles using my birthday discount and then I suggested a coffee at Starbucks which would be far inferior to the one we would have gotten at Small World, but I felt bad for making DS come out to this stupid mall with me. So we stood on a long line and got our coffees and walked over to the Barnes and Noble so I could use use the ladies room. And Mr. DS stood in the stacks holding two coffees while he waited for me. And I came out of the ladies room and tried to be all cute and pick-up artist and said "do you come here often?" and he said "no. I could never pick anyone up here, so I stopped trying. But this place used to have the best computer book section and I used to come all the way out here just for that." So we wandered around the store, losing each other then finding each other. Then we decided it was time to go since we were not even looking at anything anymore.
And then we drove home and on the drive, I felt so sleepy, even after the coffee, but the sun was bright in my eyes and I was warm from the heated seat and I opened a window to let some fresh air in.
We stopped at the craft store so I could return some yarn that I did not end up using for Mr. DS's afghan. And I picked up a new crochet needle. And Mr. DS stayed in the car and surfed the internet while I did my errand. And finally we got home and I gave Mr. DS the green bag to carry upstairs. And I wanted to cry, but I couldn't.
On the couch I started a new crochet project using new yarn that I thought was pretty nice. And I actually read all the instructions before I started so there would be no surprises. But the project is really simple and the instructions were very brief so I could not give myself that much credit.
Mr. DS made "emergency pizza" for dinner. It refers to the frozen pizza we keep on hand for when we get a little hungry but don't want anything too big. The pizza was tasty, but the crust hadn't crisped enough to my liking. That didn't stop me from eating it and following it with some Whole Foods Key Lime soda.
We watched Star Trek from our Netflix cue and it was better than I thought it would be. Even though there were enormous plot holes, I liked it well enough. And then we went to bed.
Woke up Sunday to the cat yowling again. At around 7am I suggested that we go to the gym. We were the first ones there and we were able to do our circuit with no waiting and then do cardio. I started my cardio on the Stairmaster because there was a woman on the bike next to Mr. DS, but when she finished, I got on that bike and sat in her warm seat and probably her sweat. She was one of those who didn't wipe. I never think I am going to be able to finish the cardio part of the workout, partly because it is boring and partly because my heart rate tends to climb quickly and until I am comfortable with that rate, I want to stop. But I know if I keep going, I will become accustomed to it and it will be OK.
After the gym, we went to the diner I like best for breakfast because the waitresses remember who you are even if they don't know your name and they bring you coffee and refills without you having to ask them. If I were going to have a diner, this is the kind of diner I would want to have, and these are the kinds of waitresses I would want working there. The only serve breakfast and lunch, so you can't take the place for granted...you can't just show up any old time. We discuss the plot holes of last night's movie and try to convince each other of who is more of a Star Trek nerd. Of course Mr. DS wins because he remembers more details about the show than I do. But when I was like 10 and 11, the world rose and set by Star Trek and my parents were concerned about my obsession. I paid the tab and tipped the waitress 30% because it’s a small bill there and I figure they are worth every penny they get there. The Koffee Korner. We didn't go there for a long time after we moved here. We always joked about going there and finally we did one day, and since then, we wondered what took us so long.
I drove us home and I took a shower and did a load of laundry for both of us. Then I worked on my crochet project a little more and called my friend who had left a message on Saturday. I yakked with her for about an hour while Mr. DS took a shower and got ready to go out. We were going to look at two houses with the realtor that afternoon and while I yakked on the phone, I mapped out how to get there. There were three other houses that Mr. DS had found and he wanted to do a drive by. So I mapped them out in relation to where we were going to meet the realtor. I got off the phone and I think I committed us to do something on Friday night this week, which is cool because we don't often have anything to do on Friday nights. And then we drove out to look at the three houses and then we went to wait for the realtor at the house we were supposed to see. But we were early or she was late, so we got some coffee and abysmal snack cakes at the Wawa on the Pottstown Pike (how many of them do you suppose that there are on the Pottstown Pike?). We met the realtor back at the house and we looked at that house and another house and we talked about another house that we had already seen and about another house that we may want to see and about the houses we are planning to see later in the week. And we all ate the Dove chocolate candies that the homeowner had left out for us and then we left.
On the way home, I thought there was a 5-Guys burger place in Collegeville, but I got it wrong. It was #1 Burgers instead and it really sucked because the service was slow and the food came out cold and they got our orders wrong, even though there were three people behind the counter and not too many people in the restaurant. And the burgers weren't that hot anyway, 5-Guys was way better. And I said that I felt bad for screwing up the burger dinner, we should have gone to Specks if it was open, or even the other Mexican place that is pretty good in Collegeville. But Mr. DS was cool about it. He said that we were not wrong in assuming the food would be good because there were two cop cars out in front of the place.
And we drove home with a big yellow moon hanging over the road. And I coasted in neutral a lot of the way home because there are a lot of hills that will carry you a long way if you just take the car out of gear and let it roll.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Hacky-Schlacky Lentil Soup
Add low sodium vegetable juice to red lentils in a 2-to-1 ratio. Bring to a simmer. Add more liquid as necessary. Season to taste with what you like. Takes about 30 minutes...enough time for your rice to cook. It's nutritious fast food when you just don't wanna. I added frozen spinach to another batch to give it color. Serve with naan...or Wonder bread.
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