You may have noticed from the previous post of snapshots, that part of my travel schedule took me to New York City for BlogHer '10. And I probably could have spent a few lifetimes in that fantastic city.
But first, a big THANK YOU SO MUCH to my fashionable friend, Pam, who absolutely insisted I make this trip, come hell or high water. And, to tell the truth, I would have been lost there without her and our roommate, the inimitable April. Dear lovely ladies, please accept my heartfelt gratitude for allowing this last minute tag-along to enjoy your company, your stories, your laughter, and your friendship. Let's do it again!
And big hugs to Karen, Jessica, Christine, Allison, Amber, Stephanie, Nichelle, Leah, and all the other wonderful women I had the pleasure to meet. Ya'll made my trip so much more than I hoped it could be.
Now I just have to figure out how to get back to New York for a longer trip!
I'm going to New York City for BlogHer 2010, August 6-8. And I'm going to walk the Brooklyn Bridge with my friend, Pam, who will be crossing off an item on her life list, too.
So excited!
Last night, I finally served up five tiny cherry tomatoes that I grew myself. Allow me to present the results:
I prepared a Caprese-style salad with balsamic vinegar, mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil from my garden. Well, it was really a Insalata Caprese amuse bouche so small was the serving. Still - perfect.
Look, I grew some tomatoes! I picked the first four ripe ones this week, and they're sitting on my kitchen windowsill getting nice and red. I'll probably eat them like candy tonight or tomorrow. Sweet anticipation.
So far, we have tomatoes:
and basil:
We've been enjoying the basil and parsley (in the same pot but currently being eaten by some butterfly larvae, which I am allowing to live and enjoy the herbs of my labor because I like butterflies and can't bear to destroy tiny living creatures. And really, if it only costs me a little parsley to grow a butterfly, it's totally worth the sacrifice. I mean, I can buy more parsley at the grocery store, but I don't think I can buy butterflies.) I also have rosemary in another pot, plotting to take over the world (because that's what plants do!)
Anyway, I'm really hoping the tomatoes ripen soon, so I CAN EAT THEM! Nom Nom Nom
"A drumset is a time machine, literally speaking—a machine for keeping time—though a drummer has to be the clockwork device to subdivide rhythm—to bring the time. In those days, I was not that drummer." (Neil Peart, News, Weather, and Sports)
And the time machine sitting in my living room transports me to another world, one where sweating is a joy and mistakes a chance for a do-over. Where nothing I do is wrong and the clockwork device holding the sticks is having more fun than anyone else in the room. It's sheer unadulterated, childlike joy, simple and incomprehensible.
"So today, think about what it is you need and were too embarrassed to ask for. And then go fucking do it. Wear a ball gown to the grocery store. Invite the neighbors to have a picnic on the front lawn. Get that novel out of your sock drawer and publish it yourself. Stand on a bus stop bench and belt out a song for the waiting strangers. Find a playground swing and remember how it felt to fly. Find your red dress. And wear the hell out of it." (Jenny Lawson, The Bloggess)
I found my red dress. And I'm beating the hell out of it. Your turn.
Ok, I don't know if I can really call tomatoes and herbs a kitchen garden. Especially not when they're in pots on the patio. But, for the sake of progress on The List, I'm going to count these five little plants as a garden.
I'm officially growing cherry tomatoes, sweet basil, parsley, and rosemary - the things I use most frequently in my kitchen. So there.
Pictures forthcoming.
I've got my noise-dampening, iPod-connected headphones wrapped around my noggin protecting my sensitive little ears, beating the hell out of my set of drums as I play along to a favorite tune.
Handsome walks in. "Hey. HEY!" Flips light switch a couple times.
Removes headphones. "Hi!" Grins like idiot.
Handsome. "Hey, you were playing Lump! Not bad!"
*blink* "Actually, I was playing Day Tripper."
Handsome. "Oh." Shifts uncomfortably.
Me. "Well. At least I kinda sound like what I'm playing is a real song!" Grins like idiot.
Went to the rink for the first time in, oh I don't know, 20-ish years? Yeah, 20-ish years. . . that's already more than I'm willing to admit.
Anyway, strapped on the skates, remained upright, make several slow and precarious circuits around the room.
Did NOT fall on my ass. Did NOT get mocked or jeered.
WIN
It doesn't seem possible for a child of the 80s to have missed this basic life skill, but I did. So, I'm going out with some girlfriends tomorrow night to figure this thing out.
I expect to spend the entire night clinging to the wall with one hand and my friend Sharon with the other. Or on my butt on the floor.
Pray for me.
So, yeah. Turns out several years of dance instruction, competition and stage performance DOES NOT prepare you to play the drums. I mean, they are somewhat similar in that you are organizing all four limbs to move in coordinated rhythm, each limb doing something different.
And that's where the similarities end. Because playing the drums? Each appendage is doing something completely and entirely different from every other appendage. Often to the distraction of the brain to which said appendages are actually attached.
What I'm trying to say is this: drumming is a ton of fun, and once you figure out a rhythm you can go for a bit all jamming out and stuff. Then you're brain misfires and it all goes to hell.
So you start over. From the top.
Just like dance.
37. Upgrade my kitchen equipment. (2010: salt & pepper grinders, forged steel cutlery, heavy duty skillets)
Can I just say how much of a difference the new cutlery has made in my life? I cook almost daily, with all the slicing, dicing, and chopping that entails. And my old, cheap, Walmart knives just weren't up to the rigors of my routine. So, I purchased this great set from Anolon.
I discovered Anolon knives on a trip to California, when we visited my delightful in-laws. I fell in love with the weight and balance of Sue's set and immediately wanted some of my own. That was two or three years ago. And now I have them and could not be happier.
Out of my way world, I've got knives. Really sharp ones!
Don't panic.
That's what I told myself all day as I waited in anticipation of the delivery of a set of wine red drums. Which my drum teacher would be helping me assemble and tune. And then play.
Don't panic.
So, we set up the kit and got to work. But not before I admitted my anxiety, my perfectionist tendencies, and my serious fear of playing any kind of instrument in front of another human being. And also my crush on a world-renowned drummer, to whose skill I could never hope to aspire.
He thought that was ok and we got to work. And you know what? To my astonishment, it wasn't bad or scary or intimidating. Well, maybe a little intimidating. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, I ended the lesson with a huge ridiculous smile on my face.
Because that? That was a whole hell of a lot of fun. And if I hadn't been playing for over an hour already, I'd practice a little more. I'm having a blast!
*Bonus points for catching the reference.
Well, I'm not quite to the drum lessons just yet, but I did just buy a drum kit. And I'm in communication with a potential teacher. I think that counts as progress.
Inspired by Mighty Girl and a long list of other women who are setting grand adventures into motion, I thought I'd share my own list. Or at least, my list so far. Which is not quite 100 yet, but is 36, which happens to be my current age. Funny that. Anyway, I've been building this list since last Thanksgiving, and for some reason it makes me extremely anxious to share it with the universe. Which is dumb, I know, but I'm not an open book and this feels really exhibitionist.
Well, here goes:
1. Drive a race car.
2. Get a pilot's license.
3. Live on an island.
4. Speak French fluently.
5. And maybe Spanish, too.
6. Go back to France.
7. Make wine.
8. Make homemade cheese(s). (1/30/10: ricotta)
9. Visit New York.
10. Take a helicopter tour of interior Maui.
11. Ice skate.
12. Replace my cheap wine glasses with fine glassware or crystal.
13. Break out the china and silver for something mundane, like spaghetti or hamburgers.
14. Travel to Java to see the volcanos.
15. Learn to scuba dive.
16. Write a novel.
17. Learn to sail.
18. Visit every island in the Caribbean. (Key West, Grand Cayman, Cozumel)
19. Teach my nephews and nieces to drive a stick-shift.
20. Visit the zoo, a really great zoo like San Diego or Fort Worth, with a child. (San Francisco Zoo w/ niece Dejohna)
21. Hike into the Costa Rican Monteverde or Santa Elena Cloud Rain Forest.
22. Take Handsome on a surprise, last-minute, exotic vacation.
23. Expatriate.
24. Touch the sandstone walls of Petra.
25. Skinny-dip in a stranger's pool while the entire family is out of town.
26. Own a convertible.
27. Begin drawing again, including art classes if necessary.
28. Buy a little black dress.
29. Celebrate the New Year in Paris, New York, Sydney, Rio de Janiero, London, and Dubai. (Paris 1998/1999 & 1999/2000 <--Millennium! Awesome!)
30. Go back to school to get the degree I never knew I wanted: English Literature.
31. Find the perfect recipe for wonton soup.
32. Make homemade marshmallows. (Christmas 2009)
33. Learn to tango.
34. Take drum lessons.
35. Road-trip across the American Southwest. See meteor crater, grand canyon, four corners, etc.
36. Witness the crab migration on Christmas Island.
Ok, I showed you mine. Show me yours!
