New photos

Haven't posted in a while, but I wanted to let you all know that there are a lot of new photos up on my Picasa site, including photos of Matt's and my new apartment. Enjoy!

http://picasaweb.google.com/MsJoannaShaw

Short night, long day

Tuesday I did some work in the morning, then went to actual work in the evening. Didn't get home until 11:30, then spent too long figuring out travel plans. The good news is I'll be in Minnesota from the evening of the 22nd through the early morning of the 27th. The bad news is I didn't sleep nearly long enough Tuesday night.

Wednesday morning I had to open, which was hard on not enough sleep. Then, I had to serve Laura Cunningham, who is the Service Maven of TKRG (and also Chef Keller's significant other). Luckily she was really nice and everything went well, I think. I was pretty beat after work, though. Went home, had soup, then went back into the city to meet Matt. We went to see Ben's band, Station 23, play a show, which was fun, but I started to feel the affects of my cold and not enough sleep and by the time I got home I felt pretty awful. Blech.

(A note: I feel better now)

I identify too much with this character

Monday I slept in, and it helped me to feel better (still fighting this cold). Hung around the house a while, went into the city to do errands and get an immunity boost Jamba Juice, then back home. I brought veggies over to Matt's to contribute to fajitas for dinner, and we watched "Election." Now I realize the Reese Witherspoon character is supposed to be really "out there," but I identified with her, and she's definitely a composite of some people I went to high school with.

We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo

Sunday we did something many of you will not believe I did: we went to the zoo. Now, I know I have a reputation for not liking zoos, but Ethan works at the Bronx Zoo and assured us we would have a good time, so we took the hour plus subway ride up to the Bronx and saw the zoo! He got us in for free and immediately took us on the monorail, which is where you get to see elephants (they have two!), rhinoceri, and some other crazy stuff. Then we went to the Congo exhibit and saw gorillas. Ethan had to go back to teaching zoo patrons, so Matt and I wandered around and saw lots of other cool animals, like a grizzly bear, a polar bear, a red panda (THE CUTEST EVER), snow leopards, and tigers. We met back up with Ethan at the Butterfly house and then headed home. He had told us to pack a lunch, so all in all it was a very fun, cheap day for us. Matt and I came home to the brisket I'd been cooking in the crock pot and had a delicious Sunday dinner.

A really good day

Saturday was a really good day, despite my burgeoning cold. I went to work in the morning and we had a really great shift. Everyone did what they were supposed to do and I didn't have to stress out about anything. Amazing. Hannah and I met up after I was done and we went downtown to get coffee, but on our way to coffee we passed a Red Mango frozen yogurt place that was giving out free frozen yogurt, so we got some! We still ended up getting coffee at Grey Dog and chatting for a while, which was really nice. Matt arrived and Hannah left, and Matt and I checked out Halloween costumes. We got some tea while we killed time until Ben was ready to meet us for dinner at Zaytoon's. This was a really good day, except that by the end I was worn out because I definitely have that cold. Boo.

Comfort Food

Friday I went to work, and we started our pre-service meeting as usual. Then, all of a sudden, Chef Keller appeared, and the pressure level went WAY UP. I had to lead a meeting in front of one of the most famous chefs in the U.S., who also happens to be my boss. Luckily, everything went well, but I'm sure I was pretty red in the face. The rest of the shift was easy compared to that. Did some shopping, then met up with Matt to head home and make corn chowder and biscuits. He's getting over a cold, which I am now coming down with, so we had an easy night and watched "3:10 to Yuma," which I would recommend to anyone who likes Westerns and doesn't mind violence.

Debates and Apple Crisp (new debate, new dessert)

Thursday I worked again in the morning, but I was at the bar so it was a really nice relaxing change. The shift flew by with minimal stress, which was a great break. Picked up my CSA share on the way home, and I got:

-Corn
-Leeks
-Bok choy
-Fennel
-Apples
-Carrots
-Turnips
-Peppers
-Eggs
-Garlic
-Salad mix

I also picked up local honey and a grass-fed beef brisket, which I purchased separately through a program associated with the CSA. The honey is for Matt, who has heard that eating local honey can help with allergies, and the brisket is for the crock pot tomorrow. The approximate cost this week was $33, not including the brisket and honey.

Put away my veggies, then worked on the show with Ethan. We did our first full run-through, which was really exciting. Still more work to do, but so cool to see it coming together. He went home, then Matt came over and he, Randy, and I watched the VP debate, which was as good as I'd hoped. Made apple crisp with CSA apples and finished up a good day.

Two days of working

Tuesday I did some chores, but mostly wasted the first part of the day. Then I went into work, which was pretty slow, and we got out really early, so it was fine.

Wednesday I was working a double, thanks to some, how shall we say, sudden staff changes at work, and I'm not built for doubles. Getting there at 11 and working until 8:30 is just not fun. I did ok, but I had a pretty terrible headache by the end. Went home and had grilled cheese and tomato soup and some ice cream, and that made me feel better.

Also, two questions have been asked recently in the "comments" section. Thing one, what will Randy do now that Matt and I are moving in together. He will be staying in our current apartment and finding a new roommate. How he'll replace ME I don't know, but he'll find someone almost as good, I'm sure. :)

Thing two is how much is my CSA costing per week, since I've been posting the approximate values of each week's yield. I'm paying about $23 a week for my veggie share, egg share, and fruit share. My CSA has a sliding scale for the base veggie share, and I am at the lowest level.

A good art day

Monday I slept in, although not as late. Spent the day getting really good stuff done, both chores and creative work. Then, went into the city to meet Matt and Randy to go see [Title of Show], which is a Broadway show about two guys writing a show about two guys writing a show. Very meta. It's a four-person show, no flashy lights or big sets, but as a person who is trying to figure out how to write and make a life in the performing arts, it was pretty touching. My favorite line was from one of the last songs, and it was, "I'd rather be nine people's favorite thing than a hundred people's ninth favorite thing." Good to remember. We went to a diner after the show, then headed back to Brooklyn.

The Apartment Hunt Begins

Sunday I slept in, which was much needed. Then, Matt and I began The Great Apartment Search of 2008. For those who haven't heard, we've decided to get a place together starting in December. The market moves so fast in New York that we can't really start looking until at least Oct. 15th or so, but we happened to see an ad for a place in Park Slope that was for Dec. 1, so we decided to take a look. We went to the management office and the broker took us to see the place, which it turned out was way too small. It's hard to know how square footage actually looks until you see it. Anyway, it was still good, in that it helped get me back into my Real Estate Game Face, where I take no prisoners, and it helped us get an idea of how much space we need. From looking at Craig's List, it appears that what we want does actually exist, which is reassuring :) Anyway, we headed into the city to do some shopping, then got dinner at Yummy House. Went home and watched "Ghost Busters," which is a really weird movie.

Debates require Ben and Jerry's

Friday I worked during the day, then came home to a rare evening by myself. Relaxed a while, made ratatouille with CSA stuff, then ate it while watching the presidential debate. I could only handle about an hour of it, after which I had to turn it off, grab a pint of Ben and Jerry's, and eat it while watching "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."

Saturday I worked, then went home and chilled until going to Matt's and meeting up with Ben and Atsuko. We four went to Two Boots in Park Slope and had dinner and listened to G.R.A.S.S., the ska band Ben's former piano teacher, now parent of two of his students, plays in. That was a terribly contructed sentence, sorry. Anyway, good food, good music, good company.

I would marry you in the eye of a hurricane in the middle of a snowstorm on top of a monsoon.

Thursday I worked in the morning, then went to pick up my veggies. This week I got:

-Apples
-Carrots
-Yukina Savoy cabbage
-Corn
-Eggplant
-Peppers
-Lettuce mix
-Summer squash
-Celeriac
-Eggs

The estimated grocery store cost: $38.00

Went home and relaxed, then went to Matt's for Indian food and the season premiere of "The Office," which is the source of the title of this post. That show is so funny.

I was expecting a MONSTER ORCHID!

Tuesday I walked myself to the Botanic Gardens in search of this really rare orchid that was blooming in "captivity". It was supposed to be like 12 feet across, so I figured I'd better check it out. It was a lovely day to be outside enjoying some nature, but it turns out that while the orchid plant is big (maybe 6 feet across) the blooms are regular sized. Everyone seemed disappointed, which was pretty humorous. Still enjoyed myself. Got groceries on the way back, had lunch, and went to work. Late night, and then I wasn't paying attention and missed my transfer, so I ended up just going above ground and catching a cab. Doh!

Wednesday morning was hard, since I had to open, but I made it ok. Had a good day at work, came home and crashed, then made dinner with Matt and watched TV with Randy.

Enjoying the last of the weather

Sunday I slept late, then Matt and I got bagels for breakfast. Met Rafi and took some snacks to Prospect Park and enjoyed the beautiful day. Walked back and watched some cooking shows, which are so relaxing. Then we ate leftovers (I'm finally cooking enough to need a "clean out the fridge" night) and watched the Emmys, which were only exciting because Tina Fey won a lot of times.

Monday I did my laundry, answered emails, did some writing, and hung out. Worked on the show with Ethan, and we're really closing in on the first draft, which means having to deal with some of the hard parts we've been putting off. Grabbed an eggplant and went to Matt's for eggplant parmesan.

Family Dinners

Friday I worked the morning. We've gotten a lot busier in the last couple days, it's like fall has finally arrived. Went home and chilled, then Randy, Matt, and I made dinner. We had enchiladas, corn on the cob, and salad. Mmm.

Saturday I worked in the morning and had a really good shift. Just felt really on top of things. Had some sushi so I would make it, then went downtown and met Ali, Phil, their two friends, and Matt at Bianca for dinner. It was great to see her/him/them, and we had a lovely dinner. Too soon we had to walk them to the train. Thanks for seeing us! Matt and I wandered around, I bought some tights and he bought a sweater that actually fits him, and then we met up with Rafi, Sarah Pumroy, and her boyfriend Travis at Crocodile Lounge. Eventually moved to Telephone Bar, and enjoyed catching up.

Matchless indeed

Thursday I worked during the day, then went to pick up my CSA share. This week I got:

-Celery
-Eggs
-Corn
-Peaches
-Turnips
-Parsley
-Peppers
-Onions
-Green beans
-Lettuce
-Swiss Chard
Approx. grocery store cost: $30.00

Put away the veggies, made myself squash pancakes for dinner, then met Matt and headed up to Greenpoint to see Hannah play a show at Bar Matchless. It was her best show yet, and over 30 people were there, and it was a wonderful night. Make an album, Hannah!

Veggies!

Here are the veggie photos from the last couple weeks:
I have no idea how this is going to format, but there's the photo evidence, at least.

Highlights

Since the beginning of September,

-I had a lovely dinner with Kim, which gave us much needed catch-up time
-I had a great audition, a callback that I did a great job at, and then...nothing.
-I went to the dentist, and my teeth look good.
-I went to see shows three nights in a row: "Spitfire Grill," my friend Kate's solo piano show, and Matt's friend Jackie's band's rock show.
-I did a theater piece in Battery Park, which involved me dressing up like a newsie and yelling things in public. Then photographers took pictures of me, and the director is going to make them into a comic book.
-I had dinner at Bouchon with CC and her sister Cara.
-Tony Kushner ate at Bouchon and I brought him his coffee. This was the same night it was announced that he'd won a $200,000 prize for playwrighting. This is in addition to his Pulitzer, his Tonys, and his Oscar nominations. I was the only one who recognized him and knew what had just happened to him. I was so excited I couldn't handle it.

Apologies

Sorry I've been so terrible about blogging. If it's any consolation, I've been getting a lot of other things done. I will try to be better about this.

Highlights

Here are the highlights for the past two weeks, aka the things I remember.

Thursday the 28th we went to Hannah's new apartment in Sunset Park to help her paint. The place is a steal, but it is also entirely electric blue. Even the bedroom ceiling. We helped start the priming process and checked out the new neighborhood.

Saturday the 30th I worked in the morning, then went to a barbecue in the evening in honor of Austin's birthday. It was fun to meet some new people, since Matt and I pretty much only knew Austin and Anja out of the guests.

Labor Day Matt and I got bagels and went to Prospect Park, where we spent quite a bit of the day reading the Times and listening to the very loud parade happening at Grand Army Plaza. Got frozen yogurt, grilled with Ethan.