Yes, I have too many disparate things to discuss to group them under one title. First of all, Jack and I had a lovely time in Baltimore this past weekend at Anilia and John's wedding reception and get-together. (Go see pictures of their Vegas wedding trip and a great summary of the trip by John.) We met lots of their friends in Baltimore, and the reception was very low-key with fanTAStic food. The highlight, which is apparently the caterer's specialty, was this curry cream cheese thing with walnuts, raisins, and dried cranberries and apricots. Sounds weird, I know, but the flavors mixed well and it was unlike anything I had ever tasted. Yum. It sounded simple enough in its composition, and I'm going to have to find out if Jack's dad has had any luck reproducing it (he said he'd try, since we found out all the ingredients from the caterer). There was another party later (supposedly for the younger crowd) and we heard John's band, Birdbath; they have a terrific sound and did a nice cover of "Summertime," even though it was a bit loud in the warehouse. I was low on sleep and was developing a headache, so I felt very old worrying about the noise and the fact that I was tired at 10:30 at night. I think I've always been old in those respects, though. I've never been able to stay up late, and when Nicole and I went to *NSYNC concerts during the summer we were obsessed with them, we wore earplugs. Also during the trip, Jack and I got to see my favorite Katherine for a refreshing few hours; we wandered around the harbor area and took lots of pictures, so wait and see if we manage to get any of those up. This was the first trip during which we actually remembered to take pictures of things, so be proud of us!

Thankfully, my spring break starts tomorrow, so even though I'm a bit reluctant to leave the house so soon after our Baltimore trip, I'm looking forward to seeing all the people we'll be visiting. We're staying in Atlanta on Friday night with Lisa and Joel (Jack's aunt and uncle), then in Charlotte on Saturday night with our friend Heather from Queens and her new husband, who we've never met! After that, we'll spend the next three nights in Blacksburg with Jack's parents, then two nights in Winston-Salem with my grandmother and uncle, then the final Friday night of the trip in Atlanta again with our friend Emily, also from Queens. Yay! I wish we could spend more than one night with the people who are getting short-changed on their yearly quota of Jack and Erica, but there was a limited amount of time, and I'd rather see them for a little while than not see them at all. As I mentioned, we haven't even met Heather's new husband, since they had just started dating when Jack and I got married and that was the last time we saw her (she was a member of the large troupe of bridesmaids). Anyway, I like taking road trips with Jack (he's fun), and I'm glad I have a reliable new-ish car, and if something does happen to it, I can call Saturn and they'll tow me to the nearest dealership. Let's hope it doesn't come to that. =)

I came home for lunch today since I forgot my salad two days in a row. I had made this great salad on Tuesday night inspired by Wendy's new spinach chicken salad, and then I left it in the fridge twice. I was sleepy anyway, so after lunch and a bit of Columbo on Bravo, I took a nap. As I was waking up, I turned on the radio, hoping I'd hit All Things Considered and not the ramblings of the poor people at WRKF who have to get on and beg for money twice a year... that's right, it's the spring fund drive. (Incidentally, when I used to hear them say it, I thought they were saying "fun drive," leading me to wonder what the heck was so fun about it.) Anyway, after a bit of national news on All Things Considered, I heard a fabulous piece of satire. It was done in a completely straightforward and serious manner, essential for any piece of satire. Since people can now keep their cell phone numbers when they switch companies, their story was covering a current movement to let people keep their zip codes when they move. [Pause for laughter.] They threw in conversations with people like a guy from Wisconsin who, after he found out his company was transferring him to New York, he was more troubled by the fact that he'd have to learn a new zip code. Then there was a man from Manhattan discussing how zip codes are inherently prejudiced and some are more prestigious than others. He said that he was a 10024, and people in Manhattan knew what that meant. It was better than 10027, and he had worked hard for that zip code, so he didn't want to lose it if he moved to somewhere that didn't even start with 100! Another clever detail was that the name of this movement is called "Go Postal!" I wish they had the story in their archives so I could link to it, but it's not up yet. I'll check back in the next couple of days, but you could also do a search yourself at www.npr.org.

The other fun thing that happened while I was waking up involved Patti napping next to me. I brought her in there when I started my nap without much hope that she'd stay, since she usually lets me know how independent she is by promptly running away after I've carried her anywhere. She did stay, though, I guess because I put her in the blankets and it was easier for her to fall back asleep than it was to argue. She was in a different position every time I woke up, but at one point, she stretched, and then she wrapped her little arms around my arm and held onto me. It was fuzzy and adorable.

I bought some burgers (real ones, not the ones that come in a box) when I was at the grocery store on Monday, and I'm having one tonight. Yum. It was so exciting to make one Monday, since it was the first one I'd made since we moved to Louisiana. The house smelled like meat for a whole day, and it was GREAT. (No, Jack isn't bothered by that, before you ask.) Jack is going to have a portobello cap sandwich, and I'll have another yummy burger, and Patti will complain until we feed her promptly at 7 p.m.

Tomorrow will be a fun, slightly lazy day, because we're watching a movie of Don Carlos in Verdi (a stage version that I've watched most of since it's on reserve in the library; we're watching Act V tomorrow). Then I'll have my post-tonal class, and we're talking about rotational arrays and all-combinatorial hexachords. (Everyone reading this just had a slight meltdown.) The fun in that class never stops! I get so excited about it every day. =) I haven't loved all the theory I've learned so far (i.e., a certain dead influential German who shall remain nameless here), but this post-tonal stuff is definitely for me. Sko.

Labels: family, felines, kitchen adventures, listening miscellany, school, travel

• posted by erica 4/01/2004 05:43:00 PM
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