The Visible Woman...August 7, 2000

Monday

August 7, 2000

"We work, each one of us, in the deep dark with no notion of what lasts."

Nicholas Delbanco, The Lost Suitcase, Reflections on the Literary Life

retreat from the searing afternoon to a cool, dark spot...with a glass of burgundy

Meta: I may be a little erratic in updating for the next few weeks.

birthday month

I finished a task at work. Took it to the point that I thought it should go. Wound it up. Brushed off my hands. Sat back and wondered why I hadn't done this bit long ago. I knew why, of course.

I am continuing my 'tackle it a little at a time' philosophy for getting this place cleaned up. Maybe just moving the stuff around so the maids can sweep a different part of the floor or stir up dust somewhere new makes it a good idea. In the process, of course, I keep finding the perfect place for something and then forgetting what that place is. I keep finding things that I probably should discard. My hand hovers over the trash can. Yes? No? Keep? Throw away?

It doesn't help that I have a ton of gadgets. Computers, printers, scanner, phones. What's on this CD? This floppy?

Hmm...maybe if I just had another shelf, box, filing system or new style office supply???

It's my birthday month. And I'll be on vacation on the actual day. I'm counting backwards, too, so 51...and now 50! A significant one. FFP took me to Jeffrey's (my choice) and we had a meal and a Nuits Saint George. We got there early and got a lot of attention before the dining room filled.

I went for Vichyssoise with Smoked Salmon, Apples and Toasted Walnuts. And Beef Carpaccio with Caper Watercress Salad and Black Pepper Lavosh. And Foie Gras with Raspberry Ancho Bread Pudding, Arugula and Thyme Beurre Blanc.

"The soup is too salty," I tell FFP while he is eating the Carpaccio he ordered. He tastes it and agrees. He tells Marco. I probably wouldn't have done so.

Marco takes it back. He gives me some Roasted Red Anaheim Pepper Cocunut Soup with Cilantro Shrimp and Wonton Crisps. He is better but it has too much going on.

The Carpaccio is a thicker cut than I've seen but delicious. You know that there has been a stir recently about keeping your house too clean and not building immunity in your children? Well...I think healthy immune systems can be made healthier by raw things. I want to believe it anyway.

The foie gras is transcendental but the beurre blanc is unnecessary and a little raspberry sauce under it would have been fine. The bread pudding with it is adequate to serve as my dessert. That and the sample of the revised Vichyssoise Marco has brought me. It now tastes of potato, leek, apples, walnuts with a dash of smoked salmon. It's delicious. Before it was all salt. Salt. Salt. I'm sensitive to salt, though. (Yeah, yeah, I know there is four tons of sodium in my diet. Still.)

Forrest has some of my raspberry bread pudding off the foie gras plate and a cheese plate for dessert. I'm stuffed but I have a bite of cheese. A last sip of nice Burgundy. An espresso. Life is good.

Life is a series of moments and choices. We think that certain choices define us. But I think our everyday choices are the stuff that makes us. Exercise or eat out? Both? Foie Gras or not? Eat that piece of bread? Climb those stairs? What to read?

I tried to work the NY Times crossword. It's Monday. I can't get it. Sigh.

I doze over the papers. At midnight FFP starts the watering program. We are rationed. One has to water very carefully on one's day, every five days. But the yard seems to be doing well on this program...although it requires lots of attention from us.