Rating: 💋 💋 💋 💋
Hi!
Somehow, it is already late summer. Rude! I certainly did not sign off on this. I am not ready for the chilly weather. I never am. I have to say, this summer was not what I expected. Then I think on that further and realize I do not know that I had any expectations in the first place. I might have had some hopes and dreams, but mostly I was just winging it. My summer was more working girl summer than it was hot girl summer, which is actually usually the case for me. I balanced multiple jobs and sometimes clocked crazy hours and it was just a lot. Happy moments, but a lot. Eventually though, I had to reevaluate who had ownership of my life and what kind of treatment I was going to accept. I had to make some difficult decisions in order to create a better situation for myself. It was risky, let me tell you that. I certainly have not been living the life colleges brag about preparing you for, but then, I never really wanted that life. There is nothing wrong with it, it just never really fit me. So I have been slowly pushing the limits and taking calculated risks in order to create the life that I want. In order to do what I love, I need to create space for it first. So I did some cost-benefit analysis, bit my lip, and let go of everything that was taking my energy rather than feeding it.
Then I took August to replenish and rediscover my creativity. Maybe it was back to the drawing board, but I am an artist. Isn't that kind of my thing?
This post takes place right after I first started sending shockwaves through my universe and began to rebuild.
I set aside a Saturday to hang out with Shannon and *spoiler alert* we had the best day. It was truly wonderful upon wonderful. We started it off by getting lunch at Le Pain Quotidien. It was super sunny and we loved the historic street it was on, so we took a picnic table outside. This had its pros and cons. Pros: we got to multitask, tanning and eating - recharging our souls, if you will. Cons: a cockroach jumped on our table and skittered across it like a madman. I grabbed all of my stuff out of its path and fortunately nothing was directly attacked, but you had best believe I soaked myself in hand sanitizer after that. People always say that urbanites are babies compared to the people who live in the rugged rural regions. On one hand, I see their point. On the other hand, maybe we are just a different kind of rugged. 'Babies' don't swim through the summer flash floods in the subway, fend of cockroaches left and right, side step rats on their walk home from work, and accept it as a day in the life. New Yorkers do. Post-cockroach incident, I excitedly told Shannon about a photoshoot I had confirmed just as we were sitting down, then went in for a sip of my Mint Lemonade. You cannot let one giant, wriggling bug that will be one of the only creatures to survive global warming (them and pigeons, of course)* get you down.
We actually had gone to Le Pain Quotidien specifically because Shannon wanted the Mint Lemonade. I was not so sure. I was picturing some sort of syrupy concoction. Instead I got fresh lemonade with mint leaves in it, and I was like, "oh, this is actually lovely." It was very refreshing and makes for a good enough reason to pop by this cute little lunch spot. I did not actually order lunch, I ordered the Breakfast Bowl, but I saw farro and was totally sucked in. In reality, it was just okay. The kale got to be too much. The egg, however, was perfectly salty with a gummy yellow yolk that I was very into. I loved the farro, skinny asparagus, peppers and tomato as well. So, it was mostly a win, but I left behind a pile of kale. If that is what it takes to be a health goddess, I will pick another realm to rule over. Shannon was super pleased with her Croque Monsieur - a classic. The cheese and ham was perfectly melted and seasoned well, the cucumber and radish added a freshness to the plate, and the spicy mustard and tapenade mix added brought the right mix of bright, spicy flavors to the toast. Our server got a kick out of us too. Between Shannon teasing me, the two of of us fighting off the roach, and our general histrionics, I hope we brought a little amusement to her shift. I do not think she knew what to do with us, but we certainly made her laugh.
We slipped on our sunglasses and rolled out.
Our work there was done.
We were off to the Met! Sun drenched New York when Shannon and I headed down the subway stairs, but we surfaced to a very different, gray city. It started to rain just as we got to the museum, but fortunately I had brought my rain jacket and the line moved quickly. So many people stood waiting outside the entrance that we began to worry they would reach capacity and we had hiked uptown for nothing. Fortunately, we made the cut. We loveeeed the wing that was filled with Hindu, Buddhist, Contemporary Japanese, and Egyptian art. (It was not the usual Egyptian exhibit - this was different and full of boats.) We also went to see the paintings in the American Wing because a painting Shannon loves, in which a little boy smirks as he steals eggs, usually resides there. Sadly we could not find it. Instead, our curiosity of the day was a taxidermied reindeer covered in glass bubbles. I consider stuffing dead animals gross and creepy, but it took a while to even realize that this was another case of that absurd practice. With the crystal reflecting rainbows and glinting at us, it was the most beautiful deer corpse I ever saw. The mind reels. Before we left, we really wanted to see the Big Bird sculpture on the roof, but alas the electrical storm barred that option. No matter.
Back on the train, we headed down to Brooklyn. We had a plan to get dinner from Koto Sushi, but while the restaurant said it was open, all the chairs were up on the tables. The sky had cleared back up so we walked down the street a ways and got an outdoor table at Alma instead.
Another restaurant, another server to be absolutely perplexed but amused by our antics. It is not like we are obnoxious and other diners notice us, we just have emphatic conversations. If you are swinging by to grab a drink order or drop a check, you are probably walking in on a goofy tangent, and without context it has to be quite something.
To replenish, we ordered blood orange margaritas, the special. You could taste the tequila in these, and we only got one round, but they had a perfectly zesty tang that went nicely with the salt. We both got burrito de carne filled with black beans, rice, cheddar cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream, guacamole...heaven. I loved the vinegary pico de gallo mixed with the perfectly salted guac, and I am glad I ordered the steak - a rare choice for me. It had a deep, smokey flavor that tasted lovely with the other spicy ingredients. We inhaled our burritos while talking about poetry, current events and future trips we were planning. It felt like we had so much to look forward to!
Look at how pleased she is with her burrito.
After dinner, we went home to watch Muppet Treasure Island. This inspired a lengthy debate that concluded with the following: she is the Gonzo to my Rizzo, but we are also a bit like the old men stuck on the front of the ship. It cannot be ignored though that I am also Miss Piggy (which is fabulous of me.) As a child, I truly believed that Kermit and Miss Piggy singing to each other while hung upside down off a cliff, waiting to fall to the sharks but making sure to profess the depth of their love before their untimely ends, was the height of romance. Theirs is truly the ideal relationship. Speaking of singing, the entire soundtrack slaps, and it goes without saying that Tim Curry does a smashing job.
I had to go home in a thunderstorm again, but I found a train route that minimized my walking. Shannon did offer to have me sleepover so I would not get struck by lightning, but I had to work brunch in the morning. It had been a marvelous day off, but it was time to head back to the real world - for just a bit longer.
What is everyone doing for Labor Day? I imagine the shore is a popular option, and I admit, that has pretty much been my go-to. The three-day weekend is essentially a swan song to the summer season, so you have to go to the beach. Right? Every Labor Day but 2019 I tanned at the Jersey Shore, but not this time around. I am doing something ~different~ this year.
Enjoy the holiday!
XX,
MK
*Something about the fact that the two apocalypse-ready creatures are city dwellers proves my point that there is nothing delicate about the people who elect to live among them. Vicious!
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