A simple answer

My life had become variations on the same theme. Get up in the morning, go to work, come home. After nearly two years of working in San Leandro, there were no more great culinary adventures to be had during my day. OK. Well maybe I do still need to check out that pupuseria I spotted in San Lorenzo but really? Not much else. My coworkers are creatures of routine for the most part when it comes to food. I mean really routine as in if you know what day of the week it is, you know what they'll be having for lunch. I think I'm about the only person in the office who actually reads books for fun.

So apparently all I needed to do was to get myself out of the rut, however brief a time, to start feeling like me once more. A long weekend in Berkeley. A quick trip to Poulet.

Part of the reason I have not been subjecting you to food photos over the summer is that there have been a lot of salads. Now don't get me wrong. I absolutely love salad -- even if I work with folks who cannot understand how you can have a salad as a meal. But they'd probably approve of this one -- sort of.

Last night after work, I found myself returning to Berkeley. Silly me had left my debit card at the gas station on Wednesday night and they still had it. Lucky me. Especially since I didn't even realize that it was missing until Friday afternoon. I know. I lead a charmed life. Once I knew I would be returning to Berkeley, I started imagining the kind of takeout I could pick up. Gregoire. Angeline's. A high school friend suggested Gather. That's when the surprise hit me. Forget all those places; I was going to go to Berkeley Bowl -- and I was actually going to cook something.

This salad was an afterthought. When I began planning my meal, I remembered the days when meals began with a simple salad -- like a prelude. It's about eating for a reason other than survival. This one? Baby romaine tossed with walnut oil and sherry vinegar and topped with Bartlett pear and manchego cheese. I know not much but wait until you see what followed. Cooking has once more become an adventure of sorts around here.

Shana tova

So after work today, I drove into Berkeley to hit my old fave spot, Poulet. Because you know that it's Rosh Hashanah and that means a special holiday menu at Poulet. There was Chicken B'Stilla -- phyllo filled with chicken, almonds and cinnamon, Lamb Ragout with apricots, raisins, cumin and ginger, Noodle Kugel and Summer Vegetable Gratin. Per usual it was all very tasty.


And when presented with the choice of carrot cake and apple strudel, I don't think that one should have to make a choice.

I've been busy checking out classes to take in the coming months and I'm even thinking about hitting the farmers' market on Sunday -- something I haven't done in some time. I am even thinking about skipping Poulet for Thanksgiving this year and actually cooking. Hmmm. Seems like the last time I did that was three years ago.

They knew

This photo of Boris and Natasha was taken on Tuesday evening. All this week they have been trying to get as much quality time as possible. I figured they already knew and so was surprised by Boris' puzzled look as I left this morning, suitcase in hand. I assume that he will be throwing a rager in my absence and will not clean up after himself. This will be his payback for my not taking him with me on Monday night when I went to see Dave Chappelle (Fantastic show.) and for not sharing my snow crab legs later in the week.

It's back to Berkeley and the dogs for me. Although I was slightly freaked out to hear that cops had to shoot a mountain lion that was prowling the Gourmet Ghetto earlier this week -- a mere two blocks from my former home.

We're having a heatwave once more. Yesterday it was 90 while today is slightly cooler. Luckily it will continue to cool off over the weekend as it can be unbearably warm at Marin's home. I have also vowed that I will not lock myself out this time.

What will I be doing? Watching "Weeds" on Netflix instant viewing. I am currently in the middle of season three. I also have some reading to do. I am slowly but surely making my way through The Hour I First Believed. Just in case I want to switch things up, I also have with me the latest book from Meg Gardiner as well as that Anthony Bourdain book about which everyone has been talking.

I have also decided to get all kinds of crazy over the weekend. Normally when I watch Dumb and Dumber, I eat takeout and stuff that can be prepared in the microwave. This weekend I have brought along food that will require actual cooking. Actually I haven't been doing any actual cooking in quite some time unless you want to count boiling eggs. Which I'm not going to do this weekend because did you know that Trader Joe's now carries hard boiled eggs? And they're already peeled.

Finally I will also try my best to stay out of Beckett's as that always seems to lead to trouble. But I'll probably cross town to stop into see my BFF, The Commander.

Hope y'all have a great weekend. I know I am really looking forward to having four days off in a row.

Understanding

I think I get what I miss about Berkeley. Yes, part of it is the ability to easily walk to places of interest but there's more to it. Berkeley is where the craziness happens. And when I say craziness, I mean in a Lucy and Ethel kind of way.

I have been in Berkeley since Friday night to stay with Dumb and Dumber. Yesterday I traveled across town for the Commander's birthday party. After the party, Fluffycat and I headed back to the north side to hit Gregoire's for dinner. We parked at the house and walked the one mile to get yummy treats. Since Gregoire's has limited seating, we returned to the house with our meals. Shortly after dining is when the trouble started.

We went out to the deck and as I was closing the door, I realized that it was locked -- about 2 seconds too late. So there we were trapped on the deck on a rather bucolic street. There was no one to call to help for. Our phones were inside the house. So I did what any good action hero would do. I kicked off my shoes and swung myself over the railing and then swung myself onto the porch. I also quelled the thought that I could slip and land on the cement below. Did I mention that I was wearing a little black dress at the time? Fortunately it is a bucolic street because there was probably an underwear flash at some point in all this maneuvering. But they were cute ones. I then headed to the neighbors' house, whom I had fortunately met on my last stay here. Within 20 minutes or so, the locksmith showed up and Fluffycat was able to come in. She had briefly thought of following my escape route but we decided that since my legs are longer, it was probably easier for me.


In case you're wondering, I had the roasted pork tenderloin medallions that were served with a curry bacon sauce...


while Fluffycat had the grilled tritip served with an oven roasted tomato and roasted garlic salsa.

And I must admit that I was kind of bummed when we entered Gregoire to see a female cook up front. But while we waited for our food, the cute cook did pop his head out of the back and smiled.

So I'm in Berkeley for another two nights and now I'm wondering what kind of trouble adventure I can get into today...

Watchtowers of the west

First things first. Happy birthday, Zombie Mom. I'm not sure if this post would exist at this time if not for you.

Over the last few weeks I have had a number of conversations with Zombie Mom about my dad's situation amongst other things. I remember telling her that my dad's only coping mechanism is drinking. She asked what mine are and I never answered.

My fallback is usually music. I put on my headphones and let myself get lost. I get to go through all the memories associated with a song. Or if it is a song without the associations, I imagine what I think they should be. But music is often about someone else's creativity.

This past week I wrote back and forth on Facebook with a woman who has been my friend since we were 12 -- a woman with whom I do not need to explain my history because she was there for most of it all. She like Zombie Mom is a Pisces. And it hit me that for so many of us water folks being creative is necessary for a sense of balance. My friend reminded me of all the sewing I used to do. And I do have ideas but right now they just feel so ambitious. That's why I started knitting again in the fall. I wanted something smaller, more manageable. I have yet to finish those projects though. And I really needed to finish something.

Then it came to me -- the task that incorporates two of my great loves -- research and creativity. Once upon a time I used to make incenses and oil blends. Although they take minimal effort -- well, except for deciding what to blend -- there is the great satisfaction in creating something that has purpose. As I was low on supplies, I drove into Berkeley to visit Lhasa Karnak. And while I am happy with owning my own place, the outing reminded me how much I miss living in Berkeley. I reminded myself that where I am now is merely a stop along the way and not the final destination. One day.

The larger bottle contains a blend that I used to make for my aunt that I call All Things in Balance. It is not only a blend of four scents that represent the elements but of qualities that I believe that one wants when things are out of control -- peace, strength, happiness and protection. I use distilled water as the carrier for this blend as it is meant to be an aromatherapy type blend. The smaller bottle contains another blend of oils in a carrier of jojoba oil. This one is meant to be applied to the skin and I blend these based on the individual.

I feel inspired. I dream of making more incense, candles. I dream of rediscovering my deck of cards because I miss the woman who walked into a pub one evening and sat reading cards for the endless line of people while telling them that it was OK as long as my pint glass stayed full. I miss doing natal charts and hearing the wonder in someone's voice as they read through my writing and saw the talents that they had tried to hide from others as well as themselves. I miss finding order in the chaos.

And so Zombie Mom, I would like to say thank you for making me think of all of this for the first time in a number of years.

Braving the weather

Now I know that some of y'all in colder climates are saying to yourselves, "Weather? Those Californians are such wimps." Yes, we are. We like our temperate climate. But this is an El Nino year so I see lots of rain and cold in our immediate future. And lots of whining as a result. We are petulant privileged children. (Say that fast three times. I double dog dare you.)


But Friday evening was the start of Hanukkah. And me? I am down with any religious holiday that involves food. (Note to self -- Must research Hindu and Buddhist traditions for ones that involve food as well as I am only versed in the Christian, Jewish and Islamic ones.) So Friday I headed out into the awful rain to Berkeley. Saul's had a latke tent for the weekend. I cannot even begin to describe my love of latkes. OK. It is not as great as my love of blintzes but still.


This weekend was more about this inspiration though. When Maddie and Boy Toy were out here in August, we hit a couple of wineries and I joined their wine clubs. Imagine my surprise at the beginning of November when instead of my usual two bottles, I received this beauty. Yes, it is a magnum. And yes, in this photo it is completely empty. How? Well, I sent out an Evite and cooked up some food.


There was my usual goat cheese with fig and walnut tapenade to start the evening. The main was a salad, bread, moussaka and spinach lasagna (pictured). There were children running around laughing and playing. Adults were busy catching up on one another's lives. Jade said that she had watched Julie and Julia earlier in the day and it made her think of me. For me, it felt like home.


I awoke this morning a bit fuzzy around the edges. And then it hit me. They had eaten everything. There was no food left save the baklava even though they had put a pretty healthy dent in it as well. The remainder will be going to work with me tomorrow as I am sticking true to my weight loss goal. Because -- squeeee! -- I had lost another pound when I got on the scale this morning. I now weigh less than I did back in July. This is real and I can do it. And the fact that I'm doing it during the holiday season and at a time that I am vulnerable to using food as a crutch proves to me that I can do this anytime.

Today I also did a kind of hard thing. I went to meet my mother to go to the movies. I realized on the way there that I have not seen a movie in a theater in over two years. Scary. Five years ago I used to see at least 75 or so movies per year in a theater. With my DVD viewing, I easily watched 200 movies a year. I miss it. Maybe if and when I get my bonus check in January (Yes, my company is still giving those out.), I will rejoin the San Francisco Film Society. Because I do need to take my non-flabby self out to places and all.

I totally survived going to the movies with my mom. While she enjoyed Invictus, she did not like it as much as Blind Side. Me? I would have liked it more if she had not been reciting the poem throughout the movie but I knew it would happen. But how can you not love this?

"I am the master of my fate.
I am the captain of my soul."

It tied in beautifully with watching "Dollhouse" Friday night. Here's where I would put in the warning about plot spoilers and all but I suspect that at this point, I'm the only one watching. Echo met up with a previous engagement -- a guy who wanted her to be his dead wife. The guy had finally moved on in his life and was engaged but when he saw Echo, everything came back for him.

"I thought I was past this."

"You never get past it. It becomes a part of who you are."

So true. And me now? It's all about having a home that I can open up to others. And on days in which there is not a Save the Air warning, a fire in the fireplace. By the way, the screen came from my aunt's house. And so a little bit of her will always be with me. Because sometimes we need to see it. But I know that I carry a little bit of the four women I have lost in these last 15 months or so in me. I would not be who I am today if not for them. And I will never forget this. They taught me to cook, to set a pretty table, to be a gracious hostess, to find joy in being around other people's children. They also taught me that bad things happen but we are survivors and so we move on. It is how we react and not these things themselves that define who we are.


And Flufficat, Boris and Natasha would like to thank Teddy and Kiki for their Hanukkah gifts. As you can see, the blue fluffy thing was big hit. Of course after one hour, it no longer exists. Because my cats are all gangsta like that.

One day down

The other day David asked for photos of everyone's Thanksgiving table. Silly boy. When you're a solo diner, I suppose you could go through the bother of it all but to me it just made sense to make the plate of food and to plop down in front of the TV.

The food in a repeat of last year came from Poulet. No cooking necessary, just reheating. I was a bit disappointed that they were not offering green beans this year and instead had brussel sprouts. Even though I am not particularly thrilled with them, I ordered them anyway because one must have something green on one's plate. And I suppose that I could have cooked something else but really? What would be the point of ordering pre-prepared food if I actually had to cook? They weren't all that bad. Probably would have been better with more butter. But even on Thanksgiving, I was still logging the calories.

I said I was logging them. That doesn't mean that I was denying myself any kind of food. Notice the sea of gravy. Because it's all about the gravy. And the giblet madeira gravy from Poulet is so good that I could eat alone, straight from the container. But I didn't. Instead I let the turkey and stuffing swim in a sea of it. And their stuffing -- foccacia bread, chard and sage -- is the perfect place for it. The stuffing just absorbs that stuff. Not like the heavy cornbread dressing of my childhood -- which is still good but just doesn't seem to absorb the gravy in the same way. (Oh, and every time I think of the word "gravy," I hear Monk telling Natalie, "They make their own gravy.")

As for TV viewing, I haven't watched the Macy's parade since childhood. Actually I have stopped most parade viewing. Parades are like baseball -- much more enjoyable in person than on TV.

I did find lots of wonderful marathons as well. Universal has been showing "That's Life" most of the week -- because what's not to love about a show that includes Ellen Burstyn, Paul Sorvino, and Debi Mazur? And BBC America was running a marathon of "Don't Tell the Bride." Personally I think the show is kind of twisted. "Hi. We're going to give you lots of money for your wedding but only the groom can do the planning and he cannot have any contact with the bride until the wedding day." I'm sorry but most brides seem anxious enough without the added stress of not having any input into the wedding.


This morning I'll be having some of this with my tea. It's apple cranberry ginger with a streusel topping. Sounds like heaven to me. And more TV viewing. And perhaps some DVDs. And maybe some of the various unread books I have around here. And knitting. Because I don't head out for Black Friday as well. Too many people.

So no matter how you spent your Turkey Day, I hope it was wonderful. Mine was.

The sincerest form of flattery

Earlier this month I had an incredible pork chop from Gregoire. But it was simple at the same time. So simple that I thought I might be able to duplicate it. Because the "problem" with Gregoire is that they change their menu each month. Fall in love with something? You'll never have it again after that month has ended unless you can duplicate it yourself. This time the love was so great that I had to make an attempt.

What you see is a pork chop stuffed with blue cheese and pecans. I'll tell you how I chose to make it but for the most part there will not be any measurements.

I chopped some pecans into a bowl and mixed them with some crumbled blue cheese. The chops? The label on the package said that they were king chops. Basically they were a double chop. Once I determined where the bone was, I cut a slit into the chops going toward the bone. And then I stuffed them with the cheese and nut mixture. Just some salt and pepper on the outside.

The chops were served with a jus. For this reason I decided to throw them in the oven. Now the jus was flavored with shallots but when I got home, I discovered that all of mine were moldy. In the place of the shallots, I diced half of a yellow onion and spread it around the bottom of a baking dish. I then threw in some sprigs of fresh thyme and covered it with some chicken broth. Then I put the rack into the pan upon which I laid the stuffed chops. About halfway through I turned the chops so that they could brown on both sides.

Tastewise I think I came pretty damn close. Now I'm thinking that I should get around to copying those other dishes that I have loved over the years from Gregoire.

The month (to date) in food and drink

So yeah, it's been almost a week since I promised y'all a post. And I had lots of ideas but just wasn't feeling the posting thing. Instead I'll just give y'all some quick highlights and maybe then I'll be able to get back to regular posting. Oh, and there will be a little bit more than food and drink. But you've got to get to the end for that.

Labor Day weekend meant my usual stint with Dumb and Dumber. And being back in Berkeley? Made me instantly think of food.


The first night I picked up dinner from Gregoire. Pork chop stuffed with pecans and blue cheese. Ummm. Yeah. I'll be trying to duplicate this at home in the future.


The second night I went to visit my peeps at Poulet. I wasn't in to the special that night so I got some of their garlic rosemary chicken with some sides, including an incredible dish of green beans with farro and pecans and some polenta. And lucky me, they had my favorite carrot-walnut cupcakes.


I received my first shipment from Viansa.



The following weekend I headed up to Sacto to spend some quality time with dad. This time I managed to remember that there was a Jimboy's in his neighborhood.


And before leaving dad's house, I did a little shopping.

Now we keep having these heatwaves out here. In fact we're starting another one as I type this. But before going to dad's, I kept thinking about mussels. I wanted something different than my usual though so I did some searching and settled on this.


I bought the ingredients on my way back from Sacto because the recipe calls for creme fraiche and stores in Oakland seem to have some aversion to the stuff. But Berkeley is on the way home from Sacto now and I knew where I could find the stuff. Yeah, I know. It's just plain crazy to go into Berkeley Bowl on a Saturday but I really wanted the stuff. Oh, and I substituted Pacific snapper for the halibut. Yum!


But the big change was at the beginning of the month, I got rid of the OPH. Now it's just the hair that I grew on my own. And yeah, I spent some time going through photos but decided on the one with the squinty right eye. Because I know that when that happens, I am truly smiling and not pretending to smile.

And I hope to be back a little more regularly. Because I now have loads of recipes that I'd like to try.

Home grown

I have been enjoying the few purchases I made on Sunday this entire week. Seeing the Santa Rosa plums, instantly put me in mind of this combo -- grilled plums with duck breast. (The meal was completed with some of the leftover chard and couscous with pine nuts and golden raisins.) It's another thing that I haven't made in about two years or so. The plums weren't quite as sweet as I would have liked them to be. I guess it's too early in the season. And the last time I made this, I believe I used Muscovy duck breasts. That would have involved going to Andronico's instead of Berkeley Bowl though. (Can I say how cool Berkeley Bowl West is? Parking garage. Squeeee!) The duck was tolerable but I think I may stick with the Muscovy for this in the future.

The really cool thing about this and the lamb though was that I didn't have to buy the fresh herbs. It's been too long since I've been able to pop outside and grab what I needed from my plants. It makes me think that maybe I should explore things to do with my various herbs. (Once more thanks to Canada and the wonderful folks at Richter's.) I guess the only question is which flavor next.

The power of the skirt

So I'm still texting away with that guy I met at the firefighter party. Here's the thing though. He's always working. So we text a great deal but rarely see one another. This weekend would be an example of such. And this weekend I will actually be home for the first time in weeks. and faced with the task of unpacking. Well, I'm all about procrastination. So it was off to Berkeley this evening after work.

The first stop was for some shopping. I'd love to tell you more about it but ... You know the rest of that.


The next stop was to get a pedicure. And once I was there, I decided that a manicure wouldn't hurt in the least.

As my nails were drying, I called Gregoire to place my order.



After picking up the food from Gregoire, I probably should have headed home but noooo. I had to go to my old hangout. It had been six months since they had last seen me. Just like me, my bartender had a new look. Didn't matter. He still looks hot. Kind of like me.


Then I met this really cool guy. (Ummm. Yeah. Still chatting with the guy from the party but like I said -- he's crazy busy.) Oops. And I forgot. Before I met this guy, my bartender came over to tell me that some random guy had bought my next drink. And I said thank you and started to chat with the new guy. But new guy disappeared while I was trying to settle my tab. Perhaps because while we had been outside, some other guy had settled into his seat when we returned. And new new guy let me grab my original seat -- the one that was next to him. And sad thing is that I don't remember new guy's name but I remember new new guy's name. May have something to do with the fact that I kept catching new new guy's eye while I had been talking to new guy. Bottom line? I promptly took my ass home.

Oh, and the dress thing? I had a pretty good idea of how my day would end when I walked into the work. My boss exclaimed, "You're wearing a dress! You have legs!" And then later one of the VP's asked,"You look nice. Do you have a date tonight?"

I usually wear khakis to work. And now I'm known as the smart girl at work. But I wonder if I had been wearing skirts/dresses all along if that would still be the case. When I got to work, I usually look pretty frumpy compared to the other women. And I get to be one of the guys. And I know they have total respect for me. Just how I want it. Because when you're a woman who has been told that she's pretty, you sometimes wonder about the motivation of others and so you learn how to dim it all. This might be why I go all out on weekends. Too much time being dim the rest of the week.

But every now and then you like to shine. Screw what everyone else thinks.

You can take the girl out of Berkeley...

This past weekend was my usual holiday dogsitting stint with Dumb and Dumber. I felt kind of guilty because there was all the unpacking to do at home but this also means extra cash for NYC. And I did more than just hang with the dogs.

Saturday I got to spend time with the Zombie family. You would think that I had had enough chicken but then the various Wing Stop locations kept taunting me. I did not give in.

Saturday night I let someone twist my arm into going to meet up with some folks I know from high school. What I learned is that chatting with them on Facebook is enough for me. Because other than going to the same high school together 25 years ago? Yeah, not much else in common. Now if my best friends from high school had been there it probably would have been different. I've kept in touch with them all these years. Back then we joked that we were sisters. Perhaps it wasn't so much of a joke. But those other folks? Just don't have time to be around folks who raise eyebrows when I act like me. I get enough of that from my family. Thank you very much.

Oh, and there was reading. I finally finished Garnethill. And while out with Zombie Mom on Saturday, I discovered that there was a new book in the Sisters Grimm series. Finished that as well.


This morning I awoke in a strange house. (Marin and family moved at the beginning of April. This was my first weekend in the new house. But I can walk to Astronomico's from there amongst other places!) And I wanted bacon. And hash browns. So I drove to El Cerrito to get breakfast from Nation's -- cheese omelet, bacon and hash browns. I washed it down with a vanilla shake.

And so now I'm getting ready for the trip to New York. And finishing that craft project so that I can put it in the mail before I leave. And thinking about how sometimes it's good to be taken out of one's element. Makes one so much more focused about what's important in life.

Getting settled

Thursday night I officially stopped being a resident of Berkeley. That's when I finished cleaning the old place and turned in my keys.


This was the first thing I saw as I got in my car to leave the apartment that last time. For some reason, I thought of Cookiecrumb.

So over the weekend, I decided to start doing some exploring. And by exploring, I mean checking out grocery stores. While Berkeley Bowl really isn't that far away, I thought it was time to become more familiar with stores closer to home.

In my travels, I discovered that there is a Safeway on Redwood Road. Kind of strange though. Like they have gift cards but no greeting cards. (I had to pick both up for Sista Locks's graduation on Sunday from Berkeley. I know that she will be a fantastic principal.) They also only have beer and wine. No other alcohol. It was kind of strange. Made me think I had landed back in Virginia somehow.

I was on Redwood because when you head down the hill, it becomes 35th. And that's where you find Little Joe's. I will be stopping there at least a couple of times a month since they have the Emmentaler and the "crack cheese" that I love so much. And so on Sunday, the kitchen officially reopened.

Mussel-fennel bisque -- again.
This was followed by this week's flavor.


Banana-walnut ice cream

Now if I could just get Natasha to eat something other than her old food. Because the closest places that sell that stuff are in Alameda and Berkeley.

Still here

Sort of. Let's see if I can remember the highlights.

I have to be officially out of my old apartment by the end of this week. The last week has been filled with getting the rest of my stuff out of there and cleaning. At least half of the remaining stuff went to the dumpster or curbside donations. I'm still at it.

In between I was doing some knitting. Unfortunately it is now on hold until the apartment is finished. A shame really. I probably need only one more evening to complete the project.

Last Friday I started the 30 Day Shred. (It's a workout DVD.) One of my friends asked me on Facebook why I was working out since I was already thin. The answer is because I am horribly out of shape. I confirmed that this evening. Decided to get all kinds of obsessive and bought a scale. A fancy one that tracks your weight and calculates your body fat percentage. That last number was really depressing -- and scary. So I'll be sticking to the 30 Day Shred.

Sunday I did not do the Shred though. After seeing that number, perhaps I should have. But I figured that after dancing for a few hours on Saturday night and then spending at least five hours packing and cleaning at the old place, I had had more than enough exercise.

And packing/cleaning on Sunday was loads of fun since I was sleep-deprived. I only got four hours of sleep Saturday night. OK. It was really Sunday morning. I received a wake-up call from my mother at 9 AM. She was mad because I hadn't called her yet to wish her a Happy Mother's Day. I was going to. When I woke up on my own. Probably a couple of hours later. Today I realized that she's a bit stir crazy in Mexico because there's been nothing to do for at least a couple of weeks. But do I really need to be sucked into her crazy?

Oh, and some of you have probably done the math. Four hours sleep. Awake at 9 AM. "Hmmmm. What the hell were you doing up until 5?" I told you I was dancing. At a party hosted by a firefighter I know. Firefighters throw some of the best parties. I left the party at 3. And then I was on the phone for over an hour with the guy I met at the party once I got home. He's not a firefighter; his brother is. And no, I do not have any photos of said party.

And yeah, I still have that number stuck in my head. I'm thinking I might have to start using the DVD both before and after work instead of just first thing in the morning.

Old habits

Tonight I had to head into Berkeley after work. I had been planning to do some more cleaning. And then the building owner called me yesterday because he wanted to do a quick walk-through to see if there were any repairs necessary before he rented it out to the next tenant. Good news is that the only thing about which he had concern were a couple of stains on the carpet. I told him that I was going to attempt to get them out before vacating. And then he told me how much he plans to rent the apartment for -- $500 more than what I had been paying. Gotta love the rent control.

Not much cleaning actually happened. Mainly because there has not been a garbage pickup since I was there on Sunday. Silly me forgot that there won't be a pickup until tomorrow. And then I kept running into old neighbors who wanted to chat. I'll miss them all.

When I finally headed out, it was 7:30. And that meant that Poulet was still open. But they were sold out of roasted chickens. So I settled on the chicken breast stuffed with asparagus. And my fave college student was working the counter. We chatted about my move. And because they were closing soon, he let me have the two remaining chicken breasts at two for one. And there was carrot cake. I think I'm going to have to go back at least once a month for a visit.

Nine four seven something

Now that I am shifting into moving mode, I have decided that the kitchen is closed until I have moved. That's OK though. There's lots of food in Berkeley to which I must say goodbye. Yes, I know that I'm not moving that far away. But all of this yumminess will no longer be within walking distance -- or a quick drive.


I guess you could say that it all started the minute I signed that huge stack of papers. To make up for being out of the office for half a day, I stopped at Love at First Bite Bakery and picked up mini cupcakes for the office. Oh, and a couple of regular-sized red velvet cupcakes for the Commander and LaLa Bean. (And a thank you to Zoomie for pointing out this gem in my neighborhood.)

Then later that evening I headed to Poulet to pick up dinner for the Zombie family as they had been moving that day and were not equipped for dinner preparation. There will be at least one more trip to Poulet before I move. And the folks there, upon learning that I would be moving, asked if I would come back to visit them occasionally. Of course.

Saturday I dined on the short end rib dinner from KC's. Sauce on the side of course. And they still serve it with white bread instead of the wheat that so many places have changed over to.

Sunday afternoon I hit Cesar with Emerald and her little girl. I'm a bit worried about her daughter who is now 14 months. She spent most of her time trying to chat with the other patrons. To the point that she turned her back on us almost the entire time. The only time she turned around was when she heard the bartender shaking some drink at the bar. Emerald and I made jokes about what her daughter's order would be. Emerald decided on, "I will require some whole milk. Slightly warmed. Shaken, not stirred."

Last night I had to make a quick change in dinner plans. I found myself at home and a little hungry. (The free pizza from lunch had disappeared. The pizza was courtesy of the president of the company because he won the March Madness pool. I ended up in 5th or 6th place.) What to have? Gregoire's!

Grilled Ecuadorian shrimp with harissa sauce


Grilled beer and lime marinated beef skirt steak with carmelized onion cream

There are so many other food experiences to say goodbye to. Mayflower. Mint Leaf. Perhaps T-Rex. Fonda. The Cathedral of Coffee. And of course, there will be a stop at Beckett's at some time in the coming weeks.

Goodbyes

Once more I find myself sitting here trying to find some order in the jumble that is currently my brain. Bear with me. As I walked around Berkeley this morning (I finally remembered to pick up more cat food.), I had so many thoughts of what I might say.

I thought about my upcoming move. I will finally have room for my piano. (Crap! Still need to call the piano movers about picking it up from my mom's house.) My dad bought it for me as a birthday gift when I turned eleven. I campaigned for six months to get it.

It started in Georgia during the previous summer though. My dad's hometown is around 10,000 people or so. The one television in my aunt's house stayed on NBC in the afternoons for soap opera viewing. I was tired of reading. And so I announced that I was bored. My aunt went looking through her piano books until she found the first beginner book. At dinner, I announced that I had finished the book. So she pulled out the next one. It went this way for a couple of weeks until I could read music. I spent the rest of that summer picking my way through all the other books in between reading books.

I loved playing the piano so much that I decided that I really needed my own piano at home. My mother will tell you that my father got the cheap end of the deal. Right after I received the piano, I then began the campaign for lessons. Five years worth.

I haven't played that much since I graduated from college. Even though I was no longer taking lessons, I kept my books with me. And when I was feeling really stressed out, I would find an empty practice room and play until my hands hurt too much.

As I remembered all of this, it dawned on me that today I was starting to say my goodbyes. I have loved these past four years in Berkeley but now it's time for something new.

I had just assumed that my aunt would be around to see the next phase in my life. (My cousins decided to end life support and my aunt passed away this morning.) I've been talking to her on a near daily basis for years. A year ago there were three people to whom I talked on my way to work -- my father, his younger sister and his older sister. Now two of those three are gone and mornings feel so empty.

The last nine months have been hard. And I'm getting tired of saying goodbye.

Sorry for not responding to comments. The last time I logged in to do so, things were wonky.

Tis the season

This past weekend my friend Marin and her family moved into their new home. Today the Zombie family is moving as well.

Last night I bought a stove and refrigerator. Today I signed the last of the papers. In a couple of weeks I too will be moving. No more Poulet and Gregoire in the neighborhood. But I'll have more space. And it is mine. It seems surreal.

Meltdown

My nerves have been on edge as of late. And so I found myself dropping my car off on Saturday morning to get it serviced -- finally. Tune-up, timing belt replacement and something else. I took a deep breath when they gave me the estimate and told them to proceed. I then took a seat in the waiting area waiting for a shuttle ride home. Seems that they forgot about me though. I was there for an hour and that shuttle is supposed to run once every half hour. Just as well. My phone rang. It was the service rep. Seems that one of those things that keeps your engine from moving around was broken. Probably was broken in the first accident in January. The good folks of Honda could repair it for an additional $200. I called my insurance company. They want an adjuster to look at it before the repair is made. That will be on Monday. So yes, once more I am in a rental car.

Another half hour of waiting around at the dealership. Did I mention that I was half asleep when I arrived there? My original plan was that I would return home, get a little food, and then take a nap. But no. And have you ever tried to get a rental car on a Saturday? Not much selection. I ended up with the smallest thing they had at the time -- a Pontiac Vibe. That thing feels like a boat compared to my Civic. But it was better than the minivan. I was also thrilled by the fact that once more I'd have to shell out some money for a rental car because my insurance does not cover the full amount. Let's not mention the car I turned in last week -- that I actually kind of liked. I'm still waiting for reimbursement for the rental in January. And then I went to drive off and the friggin steering wheel was in my lap -- literally. And I couldn't figure out to adjust it. May have something to do with food and sleep deprivation. Oh yeah, and the pain in my left shoulder had returned full force. Because part of my plan upon returning home was to take some more pills. (And I did call the doctor about it. They said maybe it was time for an MRI.)

Finally I got out of there and got the boat back to my neighborhood. And that's when I lost it. I had to park this thing on the street in my neighborhood. And that's when I hit full meltdown. There was lots of crying and screaming with my insurance company while I sat double-parked waiting for a space to open up. Hopefully we have reached an understanding by now. All I know is that it looks like I won't be seeing my own car until middle of this week at the earliest.


Thankfully I had made a couple of stops on my way home -- BevMo, Office Depot for boxes... But the really important stop was to Seabreeze. (Thank you, Zoomie, for the reminder.) I started with the fried calamari. And some clam chowder.


Then it was onto the main attraction -- garlic crab. It seemed like a no-brainer. I was supposed to have been going to a crab feed last night but I found out Friday night that that would not be happening. After I had been dreaming of crab all week.

And so I felt a little better.

It's a new day...

I know that I usually don't put up two posts in one day but today I just had to.

Leaving the Zombie household, I was confronted by happy, smiling folks. Yeah, there are usually happy folks on the streets of Berkeley but somehow this was all different. Once I was home, I sat down at the computer trying to find words. And then I remembered this song. This is what I felt in the streets.