Since we are going to be spending buckets of money on our house in the next few months (see category: Remodel Hell), we decide to pack Brian’s birthday (7/18), our 5th wedding anniversary (7/26) and my birthday (9/10-I’m going to be out of the country, so why not live it up now?) into one day of celebrating. No gifts, which makes life so much easier, just dinner and a movie.
I started this celebration off with a 5 mile run in the morning, which felt less like celebrating and more like drilling a hole in my head with a dull pencil. A truly miserable run, I’m hoping it was just the muggy weather.
After that, I assumed we would just hang out with Ashok until Brian’s mom arrived to babysit, but no, there was one more home improvement task to be tackled. We are planning to put a few large trees in pots out in the backyard, since we have nowhere to plant (swimming pool=concrete) but have been struggling to find the perrrrfect large pots to put them.
Immediately after we took him out he said, “again!” even though he appeared to be completely confused as to why he was in there to begin with. Anyway, that pot isn’t the one we bought but without providing too many boring details, we did finally settle on something.
Our real celebration began at 3:00 when we high-tailed it to a showing of The Dark Knight. I liked the movie, it was definitely entertaining and intense but I have to say, the amount of violence was a little over the top. It was particularly disturbing considering that the lady one row in front of us brought her young kids with her, they looked like they were about 10 and 7. Nice.
Then, the part I was really excited about: dinner at Osteria Mozza. We came here for my sister’s 40th and had an incredible meal, so I was thrilled to go back. This time around was no disappointment, we had an incredible meal and a fantastic server who recommended great wines. (If food talk bores you, you may want to stop reading here as I am about to give a grueling play by play of our whole meal, mostly so I can relive it and drool.)
Beverages: one thing I really enjoyed about their wine list was being able to order 250ml. servings of some of the wines, so we were able to try 3 different ones. My favorite was the Sangiovese we had last-of course I was drunk by then, so who really knows. Because I was a drunken idiot, I didn’t take note of any the names of the wines, so I can’t recount them here.
From the antipasti menu we had the Little Gem Lettuces with green beans, noci & pecorino. The noci were actually just walnuts, but they were probably the most perfect walnuts I have ever seen. And salty, which maked them even more perfect. Then we ordered a few small plates from the Mozzarella Bar. They were:
Bufala mozzarella with pesto, salsa romesco, tapenade & caperberry relish - a nice, big dollop of cheese with four spreads to choose from with crostini. I don’t know what a caperberry is but that relish was incredible.
Sheep’s milk ricotta, radicchio, spiced walnuts, honey & fried rosemary - probably my favorite part of the whole evening, the honey was unbelievably fresh and the combination of that with the spicy walnuts (more perfect walnuts!) was incredible.
Burrata with leeks vinaigrette & mustard breadcrumbs - Burrata is a super-soft mozzarella made with cream. The cheese was amazing, but the leeks were only ok. Probably our least favorite thing of the night.
We are both great lovers of cheese, as you can tell. But really, what’s not to like?
After that, I had the Maltagliati (a pappardelle type pasta) with wild boar ragu and Brian had the fresh gnocchi with tomato and basil. They were both fantastic, the gnocchi were of the melt-in-your-mouth variety. For dessert, we shared the Torta del Nonna with honey and pine nuts-more fresh honey and this time on cheescake!!- and a strawberry extravaganza that involved a berry sauce, crepes, gelato and sorbet, but honestly who knows? I was pretty much delirious by this point.
Today, I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck (probably a truck carrying cheese). It was worth it, but I think I may just look at pictures of food for lunch today. Oh, who am I kidding? I need a sandwich.
Our backyard is a challenge. The previous owners installed a pool, which considering we don’t have a/c right now is not something I’m going to complain about, is something that requires an awful lot of cement. They also built cinder block walls around the entire yard, another hard unattractive surface that is not so pleasant to look at. Before:
This week, we had landscapers who had done some work for us at our old house tear out the old plants in the large planter, plant some low-water plants with colorful flowers and a few vines that we hope will eventually cover the walls. Hopefully, this will soften up all the hard edges out there eventually. Grow, plants, grow! I’m trying out a pictobrowser for the first time, so let’s hope this works:
There are some before pictures in there at the end as well, I couldn’t figure out how to re-order them. Things still look pretty cement-y out there, but hopefully these plants will soften things up over time. Among the plant choices were some things we can eat! Lemongrass, passionfruit, blueberries and oregano. My vegetable garden is coming next-stay tuned.
This whole 4th of July on a Friday thing is a really fine idea, I recommend we do this every year. Having a couple of days to recover from the 4th is great-we still get a whole weekend of lazing about after yesterday’s festivities.
I have been on a bit of a cooking spree lately. This may have been spurred on by the fact that our remodel plans were finally approved by the city last week (it took 4 months!) which means we could finally start construction soon. This of course means we won’t have a kitchen for several months which may be why I’m cooking like a madwoman this week. Having time off definitely contributes to this habit as well, and I did just have a blissful week off from work after our week up at Sequoia. So, for the 4th I actually planned a menu. Pretty fancy, eh? For starters we had…
Caprese-on-a-stick: mozzarella ball, cherry tomato and basil on a toothpick, drizzled with olive oil and topped with a little fleur de sel.
Garlicky White Bean Dip and Pita Chips: I wasn’t so sure about this dip right after I made it, but after it sat in the fridge for a couple of hours and soaked up some of that garlic flavor and I added the fresh oregano, it was really, really tasty. At this point I started drinking and completely forgot to take any more pictures of food, but here was the rest of the menu:
Greek salad, courtesy of my mother-in-law, the Salad Queen
White chocolate chip Heath bar brownies, courtesy of my sister the Queen of all Baking
It was goooood. If only I had the time to cook like this the rest of the year.
Ashok’s cousin was over for dinner so they had all sorts of fun. Swimming…
…wagon rides…
…and bubbles.
Or, maybe just bubble.
Today, there was some more excitement around here, but I haven’t uploaded the appropriate pictures yet, so all three of you reading will have to wait for my next post. I promise it won’t be two weeks from now.
It has been scorching hot here for the last few days. Somehow we went from two gloomy weeks of overcast skies, highs in the mid 60’s and chilly evenings directly to highs of 98 and little flowers that had just started to bloom being burnt to a crisp. Can I get something in between? Where are my gorgeous spring days that peak at 75 leaving the evenings blissful and breezy? Is that too much to ask for?
The heat has certainly not motivated me to run, nor has the 5 pounds of phlegm I feel like I’m carrying around in my sinuses and lungs from last week’s cold. So today, for the first time this season, I swam. And lo, it was pathetic. I haven’t done laps in our pool since last fall and you would think that since I just ran a half marathon a month ago and am in possibly better shape than I ever have been that swimming would not be the gasping, splashing, flailing struggle that it was today. But damn, swimming is hard. I need to work on that.
The other big problem with the heat is the fact that we don’t have air conditioning. And we live in a two-story house. AND we sleep upstairs (for now). Last year when we moved into this house, we didn’t bother trying to get the a/c fixed since we were planning on doing some major remodeling that would involve moving ducts and upgrading the current system. Of course, we thought that would all be done by now but sadly, it has even started. It just took much longer than we thought it would to get things in order before someone takes a sledgehammer to the walls. We have plans now, drawn up by a great designer but they are still with the city, a process that we thought would only take 3 weeks and has now taken about 2 months. We’re closer to finding a contractor, but still not sold on any one person. Of course, once all of that gets sorted out and we actually start the whole process, we’re probably looking at 3-4 months of living in construction, but I’m really excited about our plans and am pretty sure it will all be worth it in the end.
Work has been hell for the last couple of weeks and although I get a bit of a break this week, next week is right back into the fire. Luckily, once I hit June things will lighten up a lot and I’m hoping they’ll stay that way for most of the summer. The hardest thing about working at night, which I did last week Sunday through Saturday, is not being around for Ashok’s evening activities. Missing his dinner, bath and bedtime that many nights in a row really sucks after a while, especially since on many of those days I had some daytime work as well. Brian and I agreed that this last week was particularly bad. Obviously, it’s hard on him too since he has no one to help out at the crankiest time of the evening, and let’s face it we ALL start getting cranky as the day wears on, so I’m going to try and plan things out a bit better form now on. This is the pain in the ass with freelancing-all the work comes at once or doesn’t come at all so it makes it hard to turn things down, but I would gladly turn down a few gigs to spend more time with these guys:
I have been meaning to sit down and write our holiday recap for days now-Ashok is finally down for his nap, so I’ll give you the high points in a scattered incoherent manner before he wakes up.
After an incredibly snotty Christmas, we did finally fly out to Atlanta to spend New Year’s with these folks:
Even though every last one of us was sick at some point in the weekend (some showed up sick, like us, others got sick in the middle or left sick) we still had a great time. I feel lucky to have such a great group of people to hang out with every New Year’s. Ashok also got to meet his great-grandparents for the first time and we celebrated their 72nd wedding anniversary. 72 years!
After a grueling five hour flight home with a toddler who just can’t sit still for even five freaking minutes, I was glad to be home. I went out the next morning for a run at the Rose Bowl forgetting that the big game had just been the day before. (I think I did this last year, too.) My normally pristine, beautiful running course was basically a big pile of trash. I had to maneuver Lucy around several half eaten pizzas before she had a chance to dig her snout into them. Basically, it was lovely. I thought about taking pictures but that just seemed sort of gross. My run sucked since I hadn’t really run in two weeks of being sick but I made myself go out again the next day and it was much better. I even tried to go out again the next day; three days in a row is not something I usually do, but there was a big storm coming so I figured I would try before I was forced to miss more days. About one mile in, my hip started to hurt and I realized I was probably pushing it after two weeks off, so I called it quits and came home.
The rain hit yesterday at about noon, just as I was helping my mom unload stuff into her new apartment. It poured buckets for the rest of the day through the middle of the night and we had the pleasure of discovering water leaking into our fireplace. Ah, homeownership! We’re supposed to get even more today and tomorrow which is great-we need the rain desperately here in drought land-but that bucket will probably have to live in our fireplace for a few more days.
I still haven’t figured out how to post video of Ashok walking, but here’s what it looks like:
Here he is wandering through LAX like so much unattended baggage:
At last, the long awaited “after” pictures of our back room remodel. I know you’ve all been sitting at home, biting your nails, waiting desperately for this post so let’s get to it. First of all, a reminder of the “before” state of the room attached to the back of our garage:
So lovely! Why on earth would you want to change anything, you may ask? Don’t you like moldy green carpet and wood paneling?
And now…..
…new wood floors, trim and ceiling!
Lucy outside the new sliding door
Closeup of the new cedar ceiling and recessed lighting
Now we just need to figure out what to put in there. Most likely we will move the piano and a guest bed in there and make it a studio/rehearsal space/guest room. We will definitely need a good thick rug because with all that wood in there, it is unbelievably live right now. Now that this is finished, we move on to the kitchen remodel. We met with our designer last night and started working on the plans-I can’t believe things are finally moving forward! I probably won’t be nearly as excited once they’ve started ripping holes in all our walls.
The Mud Run is this weekend and I can’t say I’m too excited about it. I kind of wish I could skip it but since I’m part of a team, I guess I have to show up. I would feel better if it wasn’t over two hours away and they are suggesting that we get there at least 90 minutes before race time to be shuttled to the course. Doesn’t really sound like how I want to spend my Saturday morning, particularly since I have a duo concert on Sunday night. Here’s hoping I don’t break any bones at that race!
It is possible, however, that the real reason I am down on this mud run is that we are going down the night before to avoid having to leave our house at an obscene hour on Saturday, menaing that I will be spending my first night away from Ashok…ever. Even though he has been sleeping really terribly these last few weeks and I will probably sleep better in a hotel, and even though, yes, he is over a year old now and can certainly manage without me for a night, I will still be sad and worried and fretful.
Once the Mud Run is over, I have set myself up for a few new races in November and December and finally updated the Races section over to the right. I’m looking forward to all of these, especially since work (which has been absolutely insane sine the beginning of September) will have finally mellowed out. After November 5th, which will be my first performance ever of Schoenberg’s Transfigured Night, the big-ass cloud that has been looming over me for the last month will finally be gone. And then I’ll be free! free! free! A little work here and there but no big chamber music programs until January. That means lots of time with baby, TV and me. I can’t wait.
Before I say anything else, head over to my friend Charlie’s blog to check out his latest Pick of the Week. Although I am disappointed by the omission of this gem, it is still an excellent collection of some of the finest entertainment You Tube has to offer.
The remodel of our back room is almost done! They are out there putting on the baseboards and window trim as I write this and expect to be completely done by Monday. Hooray! I will be sure to post some of the “after” pictures once everything is cleaned up. Now we just need to figure out what the hell we’re putting in there. Most likely the piano and a guest bed but my dream of a pool table and a bar still lingers.
No running stats to report this week as I keep forgetting to take my watch with me. It’s probably a good thing for me to take a break from looking at it every five seconds actually. The Mud Run is quickly approaching and although part of me is pretending that it’s not really happening, I also realize that I am in much better shape than I have been in a while. I have been trying to do some long hills as there is a portion of this race called “Suicide Hill.” Great.
Ashok has had quite a bit of excitement these past few weeks. He turned one last week and we threw him a little party in a nearby park with lots of friends and their kids. Here he is applauding his cake:
He also had some fun trying Indian food for the first time-specifically South Indian food, the food of my people. He had some idli and some masala dosa and they both went down easily.
(I don’t know why that picture is so blue and funky.) I’m so happy he liked it. Let’s hope he stays this open minded about food for a loooong time. At least until I’m not responsible for feeding him anymore. Then he can eat whatever the hell he wants.
This past Saturday Brian and I ran a 5K at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena-it was called the Ernie Van Leeuwen Memorial Run, and it was honoring Ernie, who apparently ran many marathons up until his death at age 94. Most of Brian’s marathon training group was there but we had an agreement that he would run with me. As a handicap, I made him push Ashok in the jogging stroller which slowed him down a bit and made it easier for me to keep up. I had my best 5K time yet-27:25-with the last mile coming in at 8:13. I was pretty happy. It was a small crowd but enough of one to make it difficult navigating with the stroller at the start. It didn’t help either that there was a triathlon going on at the same time (they were running/biking in the opposite direction), in addition to the people who are just out for a walk or run every weekend at the Rose Bowl. Still, I can’t complain-it was only 10 minutes from our house and a course I’m really used to running. I’m enjoying working on my 5K time, I think if I can find a flatter course, I could get an even better time eventually.
We have finally, finally, begun Phase 1 of the work on our house. Today, demolition began on the scary extra room attached to our garage. I’m thrilled to have this bonus space and I think it will eventually make a great studio/guest room but its pre-demo state will not be missed:
Glorious, isn’t it? It really has everything you could ever dream of in a scary back room-wood paneling, disgusting stained carpet, nasty ceiling tiles and even more that couldn’t fit in the frame of this picture. Add to that the lingering smell of cigarettes left behind by the previous owner (a chain smoker) and you have a little slice of paradise. We’re hoping to have this project done in a couple of weeks and then on to the rest of Phase 1-the kitchen which is when the true remodel hell will begin, I’m sure. Yeah, I can’t wait to not have a kitchen for 3-4 months-that’ll be loads of fun.
