Signs of Summer

Before the smell of urine and garbage takes over the steaming streets of New York in July and August, much more pleasant signs of summer...like street fairs and days in the park, occupy your weekends. Or they would if you weren't working insane hours. Today is the Amsterdam Ave. Street Fair and we took a respite from installation for fresh air...and of course, street fair corn. Some people get all fancy with honey butter, or mayonaisse (gross) and jalapeno butter, but I prefer straight up butter, salt, and pepper.




Here is my question for all of you four readers...why all the sock vendors? I have to say, I just don't get it. I've heard of people who only buy their socks at street fairs. What is this phenomenon? I don't think it exists in Ohio. Today, as we were walking the fair, I counted at least one sock vendor on each block....and one underwear vendor too.

Grazing

When I was thinking about the form I want this blog to follow, I knew that some part of it had to be about cooking and food. I talk with friends about what Ina (we're on a first-name basis) made on the food network, I experiment with new ingredients I find at Fairway and green markets and I have recently begun baking cakes...I'm now in charge of birthdays at work. What I didn't consider when thinking this through is that I would be working twelve hour days and walking around in panic-driven flop sweat (that's a story for another day). I'm stealing away 10 minutes to type this during my "lunch break," which really doesn't exist.

Matt and Julie challenged me to perfect the souffle this year and I have only made one--albeit absolutely delicious. I managed to make a batch of quinoa salad on Sunday that has lasted me through four meals this week and my dinner last night consisted of ten stale animal crackers with peanut butter. Anyway, I am hoping to get back to the souffles, cakes, and semi-vegetarian cooking soon, but it is going to take at least another week.


In the meantime, my boss has been very generous this week with providing food to keep us alive during the installation and we have been grazing on delicious mezze platters. Yesterday's spread was filled with dried fruit and nuts, salami, spelt pretzels, and grapes. Today we actually squealed and clapped when a platter filled with blue corn chips and Fairway guacamole showed up with insanely delicious olives, cheeses and fruit. I actually don't think I have ever had olives this good before--a lot of rosemary, and something else...mellowed the sometimes bitter flavor so all that is left is salty goodness.

Bears. Beets. Battlestar Gallactica.

As a committed television-watcher, May is a tough month for me. Season finales, series finales, there is a lot to watch and it only signals the upcoming wasteland of summer reruns. Due to Matt and Julie's insistence last year, I caught up on The Office over the summer--only to be completely addicted by the brilliance of the show by the beginning of this year's season. My co-worker, Tom and I look at each other on Friday mornings and start laughing--dropping some completely insane quote from the previous night's episode. I think it is pretty rare to have a show that is so consistently funny, with moments of outrageousness and cringe-worthiness that I haven't experienced with any other show. Seriously...how does Michael get away with that stuff? The recent episode where he stuck his finger through his fly to "flash" the office? Oh my God. I wanted to curl up in a little ball and DIE, but it was so fantastic.

But I have to say this, writers and creators of The Office...

Will you let Jim and Pam get together already? The angst and sexual tension is driving me nutso. I don't think I can go through another season of who likes who. We need those two as a prank-pulling, super-team. The distance throughout the season has been so disappointing....and my local coffee shop agrees.

A Party For Your Mouth

I didn't necessarily intend for my first real post to be about a toothbrush, but I'm in the middle of an exhibition install and I'm tired. Really, really tired.

I have been using the Mentadent toothbrushes since college. I think Tara Lee had all of Stoddard Hall using them in 97-98 (and oh my goodness that was 10 years ago...how is that even possible?). I remember laughing as she posted long letters claiming how the toothbrush massaged your mouth and your teeth would never be happier. Didn't we all pose for a picture with our toothbrushes? I think we were going to write a letter to the company to see if they would sponsor our dorm, but I am pretty sure it was one of those fantastic ideas that never happened. Anyway, I really liked the product, but it just isn't readily available anymore--at least not at my local Duane Reade and definitely not at the corner deli. I've been disappointed in my toothbrushes for at least a year now (you didn't know I cared so much, did you?), but I have finally found a fantastic replacement. My gums have never felt cleaner, my teeth are happy and this may be a little too much information for my first blog post, but my tongue feels pretty fresh too. The Colgate 360, people.


It is a pretty slick toothbrush with an added tongue cleaner on the back. (I just checked the website and I stand corrected. It is a tongue AND cheek cleaner. Win Win.) Go out and get yourself one--you know you're due for a new toothbrush. You won't regret it.

Is this thing on?

So as you can see from the date of my last post--I am committed to writing this blog. I am trying to figure out what format it is going to take, but rest assured I will discuss my daily addictions, cooking, celebrity, television....anything else I happen to have an opinion on at any given moment. Stay tuned...