Adventures in Gastronomy

Through my street, that is.

For the second time in a year, our street turned into a river briefly. The last time had followed a few days of rain. A heavy rain burst took place and there was an actual current on our slightly sloped street.

Yesterday was far more impressive. First there was an intense gust of wind. Then I heard some clanking (like rocks being dropped on cars). I opened the front door and saw hail landing on the cars, streets and gardens. This was the first time in my life I saw hail, actually. They were between 1/4 and 1/2 inch big.

Then more wind came and it all quickly changed to rain. HEAVY rain. With thunder and lightning. It reminded me of a hurricane where you can see the sheets of windswept rain smash against houses. Within a minute or two, the street began filling up and a river was formed.

I quickly ran to get the camera and took a few shots. The one above shows a car parked by the end of our driveway. It’s blurry (it was windy, I was rushing, and I think Randy had the camera set to take night-time pictures), but you get the idea. Those are WAVES of water….in a street. After less than 5 minutes of the heavy rain.

The storm departed as quickly as it came, lasting all of about 20 minutes. But what an impressive 20 minutes it was!

June 25th, 2008
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: Comments Off on A River Runs Through It

After posting yesterday I realized I neglected to mention a few tid bits from my trip to the Cape last weekend. First, since the Provincetown International Film Festival was taking place while we were there we saw two celebrities on the street. The first was director, John Waters. Technically, this is nothing special since I’ve seen him every single time I’ve visited (in season, at least) for the past decade or two (yikes, I’ve been going to Ptown regularly since 1986).

The second celebrity I saw on Sunday was Quentin Tarantino. I’ve never read about his personal life (nor have I been the biggest fan of his films…though I do like his taste in music) but he seemed really down-to-earth. He was just walking down the street alone and people kept walking up to him and congratulating him or saying how great they think he is. I wouldn’t say he was blushing, but he did have that look about him as he shook hands or patted people on the back and kept walking.

And his walk! It was just like that of the overweight sci-fi geek from high school (you know, the one with the pants that just don’t fit quite right and who has a pronounced bounce as he stepped from one foot to the next)? It was kind of cool, actually. No pretention.

Anyway, the THIRD siting this past weekend was probably the most impressive: the cicadas. Holy shit! I’ve never seen (or heard) anything like that in my life. I arrived at my parents around 8PM so the cicadas had stopped flying and buzzing. But at 5AM (the sun coming up) I heard the most peculiar buzz. It was seriously like the flyer-saucer sounds you here in bad sci-fi movies. The noise ran straight through the day until sunset again. And it was a constant hum. A hum so loud that if you opened the windows, you’d have to blare the TV or stereo to hear it. It was so loud that you had to half-yell outside while chatting with each other.

And the cicadas were EVERYWHERE! We stepped out to my parents garden and there were literally hundreds of them on the hostas and other plants. They were in the trees, they were flying around, they were on the ground, they were on the house. One silly thing landed on Chris’ shorts and the poor guy freaked out (mind you, these bugs are about 1/2 thick and over an inch long…with round red eyes). They’re harmless, but when they land on something, they like to stay there. Chris tried flicking it off, but it wouldn’t budge. I finally had to go over and remove it by hand.

But I then seemed to become the target and a few more landed on me. I’d brush them off but they land right back on me (they have no fear). When I was at the garden I’d actually touch them and try to push them off the shrubs but they’d have nothing to do with it.

Fascinating. Even more fascinating was how isolated it was. We left my parents place and got to Ptown and there was not a single cicada in sight. But between my parents place and Route 6 (a 10-15 minute ride) they were flying into the windshield of the car. On Route 28 you could see the cicada carnage piling up around the yellow line in the street. Seriously! Thousands of dead ones along Route 28.

Too bad Quentin Tarantino wasn’t in the mid-cape area. This could have inspired a new film.

June 24th, 2008
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 3 Comments

This weekend spontaneously turned into a mini-vacation. What started out as a solo over-night trip to the Cape to visit my parents turned into a full weekend with family and friends. I headed down on Friday night and had dinner/games with my parents.

On Saturday morning, Randy arrived with our friends, Chris and Pete, and we drove up to Provincetown. After checking into our rooms at the guesthouse, we headed straight to Herring Cove for a perfect beach day. That night, we walked up and down Commerical Street, had dinner at Ciro and Sal’s (my first time there…surprising considering I’ve been going to Ptown every summer since 1986).

We were all too exhaused from the beach to go to any shows or clubs, so we got some ice cream and people-watched until finally crashing for the night.

We repeated the beach activities on Sunday. We were skeptical that we would be able to do that since the forecasts for Sunday were horrible. But the meterorologists were completely wrong…almost. After a spectacular morning, we packed up to head home around 2:30PM. At that time, an ominous cloud formation formed almost immediately and within minutes it was very dark and we could see lightning in the distance. Meanwhile, we had nearly another quarter mile to walk back to the car. We made it to the car just as it began raining.

But by the time we finished rinsing off at the bath house, the storm was gone and we headed back into town to walk around some more and grab an early dinner.

We made it home by 8PM…and now I hear thunder (again) as I type this blog on Monday morning. At least I have the memories of (mostly) gorgeous weather over the weekend.

June 23rd, 2008
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 1 Comment

Seeing the devasation brought on by the midwest floods is astonishing. As a severe weather buff, I’m always fascinated when earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and blizzards take place. It never ceases to amaze me to see what Mother Nature is capable of doing.

So, I feel horrible for the people and businesses affected by these massive floods. I really do.

But then there was an article I read yesterday discussing how FEMA had historically assured residents that levees will protect their property since only a “100-year storm” would break the them. Consequently, residents living in low-lying areas near major rivers were not required to get flood insurance.

Well, it appears that this is that 100-year storm. And levees have broken. And it sucks.

But this article also quoted people discussing historic examples of recent floods, such as those in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. A man was actually quoted as saying that he didn’t have flood insurance in New Orleans, because he didn’t know the city was below sea level or susceptible to flooding.

WTF? Who didn’t know that? Especially somebody who lives there and might drive past these levees protecting them? I don’t buy that excuse one bit. I’ve never been to Louisiana but I’ve known for my entire adult life that the city was below sea level. Maybe it’s because I’m a big ole’ geek who watches too many documentaries on PBS and the Discovery Channel or National Geographic Channel, but come on. That excuse doesn’t fly with me.

Where has accountability gone? I mean, when I lived in San Francisco…as a renter, no less…I made sure that I had at least minimum earthquake insurance coverage. And I recall it was tough to get (because of the high probability of earthquakes, insurers would only provide limited coverage). But I got it. And even living in brick or concrete buildings in Boston, I was sure to have coverage for fire, too. It’s worth the extra expense because catastrophies do happen.

Nowadays, everybody just seems to claim ignorance. And I’m annoyed by it. And we’re not learning from our mistakes. Homes are being rebuilt in the areas of New Orleans that are below sea level. It WILL happen again. Why were people hundreds of years ago so much smarter? (you know, the original New Orleans settlers who living in the French Quarter….a part of the city that didn’t get destroyed by flooding).

Anyway, this probably sounds like I’m contradicting my stance that I feel sorry for those affected. But if I had an investment as significant as a property, and it was located in proximity of a water source that had the potential of flooding (and most water sources do), I’d have been sure to get flood coverage. Hell, I probably wouldn’t have purchased property in that location in the first place. I’m a cautious guy…and there are certain risks I’m just not willing to take. Like buying a trailer park home in Tornado Alley, or a cliff-house on stilts in earthquake territory, or a crack-house next-door to Lindsey Lohan.

June 20th, 2008
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 3 Comments

Instead of going to the gym yesterday, Randy wanted to go for a bike ride. I was game. I’d not been on my bike since April….when allergy season was in full bloom and zooming down the Minuteman Bike Trail inhaling all of the pollen helped push my sinus infection over the edge. The bike ride may not have been the cause of the sinus infection, but it is what I associate it with. I have the same reaction to the television show “M.A.S.H.” (I had chicken pox and thew up while watching an episode….the show had nothing to do with my vomitting, but I to this day I can’t help but associate the show to puke).

Anyway, I’ve gotten off track. I agree to go on a bike ride, but requested that we take a different route than the Minuteman Bike Trail. That’s the path we’ve taken for every single bike ride over the last two years and it gets rather boring. Since the trail isn’t a loop, you have to turn around and repeat the same trail in reverse. Plus, there are so many parents with kids in strollers and people walking hand-in-hand that it’s also an annoying obstacle course.

Last night we rode through various streets instead. I really enjoyed it. We weren’t sure where we were going, but we ended up passing through Somerville, Arlington, Medford, Winchester and Cambridge….never repeating a street twice.

And since I weighed myself this morning (for the first time in months) and discovered that I’ve potentially* gained yet another 5 pounds or so, it makes sense that I should keep moving.

*I say potentially because my scale is notoriously wrong. I could check my weight Monday and then again Tuesday and find that I’m 8 pounds heavier…or lighter.

June 19th, 2008
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: Comments Off on A Change of Scenery

When I bought my scooter the on-line description said that it got an estimated 87 miles to the gallon. Since purchasing it in March, I’ve been getting nowhere near that amount. Previous readings were between 53 and 67 miles per gallon.

Our friend, Jeff, who has owned scooters and motorcycles for years said that you need to break the scooter in first and then you’ll start getting better mileage. I think he’s right. I filled the tank today and discovered that I got nearly 77 miles per gallon this last time. Not bad.

He also said that these Asian made scooters are notorious for having inaccurate fuel guages and odometers (which would explain why I always fill the tank when it’s below the empty line yet still can’t fit gallon of gas into the 1.32-gallon tank).

Compared to the 20 miles per gallon that Randy gets in his car, I suppose I should be thankful.

June 17th, 2008
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 2 Comments

Saturday was Pride Day in Boston so a bunch of us got together and went to the parade and City Hall Plaza festivities. I’ve become so jaded when it comes to this event. I’ve attended pride in various cities (San Francisco, Minneapolis, Paris, London) and Boston’s probably a dozen times. Yeah, it all becomes the same after a while…but I do enjoy the camaraderie it brings. I just wish Boston could take some pointers from the other cities:

Paris and San Francisco’s parades provided more fun debauchery. The floats were more fun (and risque) and people seemed to celebrate more. However, San Francisco’s is just too damn long. And they stop the parade to let traffic through various intersections, causing large gaps and longer delays.

Minneapolis was probably the best. The parade was just all right, but they really know how to do the other festivities. Concerts, fire works, and a better organized vendor section (more spread out, more vendors).

I’d love to try Amsterdam’s parade some day since instead of doing it down the streets, they do it on boats along the canal. Kind of redifines the meaning of a “float”, doesn’t it?

Anyway, after the parade and festivities we had a BBQ at our place. About 18 people showed up (one of our biggest yet). And the weather cooperated! Not too hot/humid, not “too” cold (though, we loaned out nearly all of our sweaters and spring jackets to guests).

On Friday, I also got together with my friend, Pete, for dinner and a walk around my old ‘hood: the North End. Ah, I miss that place. I rode my scooter home from Harvard Square at 10:30 at night (the first time I’d ridden it at night).

I lived.

June 16th, 2008
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 4 Comments

I watched the second episode of SwingTown last night and I have to say I’m starting to get into it. That characters interest me. And I can relate them in some way (no, I’ve never been a swinger, but I can relate to dealing with the pressures that society puts on a person to follow what it believes is the moral/ethical way to live).

I like that the way they’re exploring that in the show. How at once they’re enjoying things, but at the same time seem to be hating themselves for allowing themselves to enjoy it. I like how the most uptight of the bunch (who is practically disowning her best friend over her merely attending a swingers party) is actually the one having fantasies about participating.

It’s like the old stereotype of the most vocal homophobe actually possessing homosexual tendencies.

Anyway, this could be a good summer diversion for me. And a lot cheaper than travel! Though, speaking of travel, we do have a few trips lined up. We’re flying down to Virginia to visit Randy’s family for the 4th of July weekend. No more than 4 days later we’ll be flying to San Francisco for a week. In August we’ve got 4 or 5 days planned up in Maine at Acadia National Park. A few weeks after that we’ll be heading to Ptown for a long weekend (though, I suspect we’ll snag a long weekend down on the Cape at some other point in the summer, too).

I’m glad we’ll have a DVR to record SwingTown while we’re away!

June 13th, 2008
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: Comments Off on I’m Digging It

Most of our favorite television shows finished their seasons just before we went to Europe. However, there were a few season finales on the DVR when we got back: Ugly Betty, Grey’s Anatomy…

…and Lost. Last night we watched the last one: Lost. Randy is WAY more into this show than I am. He’s been trying to get me to watch his stories as long as I’ve known him. He’s converting me on a few occasions (such as Lost), but I could still take it or leave it.

One show he absolutely has wet dreams over is Battlestar Gallactica, and that is one show I just can’t get into. (I’ve made him watch the 4 shows on the DVR on his own).

But now with every single show finally off the air (and off the DVR), I’m in need of some summer time distractions. Yeah, I could go outside and enjoy the oppressive heat and humidity. Or I could find NEW shows to watch! I enjoyed the first episode of Swingtown last week (second episode on tonight). And since the whole premise is suburban husbands and wives having orgies together, I’m very curious to see how this could become a series now that all of those activities already took place in the first episode. I suppose there could be the syphillis scare episode, or perhaps the episode where the wife of husband A starts developeing feelings for husband of wife B. Or even more scandalous, Husband B develops feelings for Husband A. Now THAT would be prime time.

June 12th, 2008
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 5 Comments

When we went to bed last night it was hazy, hot, and humid. A completely miserable evening (weather-wise). When we woke up, it was dry and sunny. Lovely.

In between, the meteorologists predicted a line of thunderstorms coming through. The news showed this heavy line around the Berkshires heading our way. Yet I never heard a clap of thunder. Nor did I see any lightning. But around 1:40AM, I heard utility trucks in front of our house. I peeped out the window next to the bed and saw the flashing of the lights and heard the sounds of a machine chewing up a tree.

I rolled over.

When I woke up, I looked out the front window and saw little leaves and tree pieces all over the street. And the wires leading to our neighbors house were all tattered and strewn all over the place.

Did I miss something? Was there some sort of spectacular lightning storm I missed? Were there some heavy winds? I can’t believe I could have slept soundly enough to miss either a limb breaking from a tree just outside the window or, worse, lightning striking a tree mere feet from where I slept. I suppose old age could have prompted the limb to collapse.

And maybe old age is what prevented me from hearing it.

June 11th, 2008
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 1 Comment