Adventures in Gastronomy

For the first time since, gasp, the week before Thanksgiving I did a thorough cleaning of my apartment. I mean, I did a quick wipe through after taking down the Christmas tree on December 24th – but other than that I’ve not dusted, swept or scrubbed once.

In my defense, I’d not been home very much. Between Thanksgiving on the Cape, then vacation in Japan, then Christmas on the Cape, then vacation in Montreal…plus spending 4 or 5 nights per week at Randy’s place…I’ve simply not been home to make any messes.

That said, dust still settles and my little Swiffer was surely put to the test yesterday. And now I’m no longer ashamed to have company.

And has anybody seen on the news that proposal in New York City about banning cell phones and iPods in crosswalks? That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard in ages. The whole point of cell phones (also known as MOBILE phones) and iPods (also known as PORTABLE mp3 players) is that they’re designed for MOBILITY and PORTABILITY. They’re designed to be used on the go.

If you were just going to sit around the house all day you’d use a stereo and a land-line phone and there’d be no need for iPods and cell phones. If the goal of this proposal is to protect people from distraction at intersections, then they’d have to ban newspapers, books, magazines, billboards, signs, guide books, iPods, cell phones…and other people. Because you can be just as easily distracted by any of those things.

February 8th, 2007
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 9 Comments

…you enter the elevator at your work place and a stranger sharing the elevator says “BRRRR – I can feel the cold coming off of you.”

Yep – and that’s how cold it was this morning….again. Fortunately, Randy drove me most of the way to campus so I wasn’t as cold as I’d have been if I’d have taken public transit and walked.

And speaking of Randy – we got together last night after he went to the gym. We arrived around 8PM, baked a pizza and watched Tivo’d TV (How I Met Your Mother, American Idol, Heroes). All in all, a good night by my standards. But this morning Randy said that he doesn’t want us to fall into a rut where we get together and just watch TV (and don’t go anywhere or do anything).

But those are the activities that make me happy!

Anyway, I pointed out – and he agreed – that we are always keeping busy on weekends (dinners, parties, games, shopping, weekend getaways) and that it’s just the weeknights that we stay in and do nothing. Plus, as I mentioned in the first paragraph…it’s 12 degrees! There isn’t much I want to be doing outside right now except sprint to the nearest interior space.

I suspect that once more comfortable temperatures appear in a month or so (yep – March is less than a month away!) we will be more active. I do enjoy going for walks along Boston’s waterfront after work…or going to restaurants…

…as long as I’m home by 8PM to watch my stories on TV.

February 7th, 2007
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 5 Comments

I miss the good ole’ days when all I needed was a pencil and 1040-EZ form to complete my taxes. This ceased to be the case around my 30th birthday when I bought my first property. Since then, I’ve hired tax preparers to handle the complexities created by home ownership…and the subsequent home-selling.

However this year, for the first time in 5+ years, I didn’t buy, own, or sell a property. I expected an easy tax preparation and was excited not to have to spend $250 worth of my tax return to have somebody prepare it for me.

That excitement has quickly disintegrated. I work for a non-profit so my previous employer’s 401(k) can not be rolled into my current employer’s plan because it’s considered a 403(b). As far as I can tell they both operate identically (money is put in there pre-tax, etc…) but still I’m not allowed to roll-over.

So in 2006 I converted my former employers’ 401(k) (which has just sat there stagnant for nearly 7 years) into a Roth IRA. To do so meant I had to first do a “rollover” from the 401(k) into a traditional IRA (no taxes owed). From there the traditional IRA was “converted” into a Roth IRA and taxes were due. It seemed easy enough when my financial planner explained it to me and logistically it makes sense to me now.

Little did I know that there would be separate 1099 form…and a few 5498 forms…for each type of transaction. I’ve got 5 pages of them. And none of the numbers on them match the numbers on the monthly statements I got from the financial planner. All I expected was a single 1099 form indicating how much is taxable. I’m so naive.

No wonder people in this country don’t (and can’t) save. Speaking of saving, did you read this week that Americans are saving less than any generation since the Great Depression? That’s scary. The last time people saved so little was when everybody was unemployed and banks were closing down and taking people’s life savings with them (FDIC didn’t exist yet).

I’m not an economist but I suspect we won’t realize the severity of this trend until the current working population (20-40 year olds, specifically) reach retirment age. With social security’s future unknown and nobody saving today, there’s going to be bleak, bleak future in 20-30 years.

February 6th, 2007
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 4 Comments

Well, I will be able to see clearly in a few days. I finally found a pair of glasses that I liked. Poor Randy – I dragged him all over the city on Saturday as i tryed on pair after pair of frames. Hell, we actually started the search late last year. But yesterday I was determined to get new glasses before heading to Mexico (and that’s less than two weeks away).

On Satudray, our search started at Cohen’s Optical, then For Eyes, then Lenscrafters, then See (in December we stopped in other places, too). I ended up buying a pair from See – which is where I’ve purchased my last 3 or 4 pairs of glasses. These new ones will be a little more subtle than my current pair (which are nearly two years old). Of course I’ll post a picture once they arrive.

Let’s see – other weekend activities included dinner, wine, and games with Randy, Pete and Chris on Friday night. Saturday morning I met up with my long-lost high school friend, Carolyn, and her husband for dim sum in Chinatown. MMMMMM – good company, good food.

Randy then went in for his root canal and later that evening we got together with friends, Ben and Sandy, for dinner and conversation.

I never left Randy’s house on Sunday. Well, technically I did as Randy returned from the market with more groceries than he could carry and I stepped out the door and into the garage to help. But other than that, I didn’t even take a shower until mid-afternoon. All day I barely left the sofa, for that matter. Needless to say, it was a wonderful day! I still have to wonder what Randy sees in me.

February 5th, 2007
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 4 Comments

OK, so I was browsing one of those gay social sites* yesterday and I stumbled upon a profile for a man who looked incredibly familiar. It then dawned on me that this was none other than a contestant from a reality show that I love(d). He was on the show probably 5 years ago (maybe more, actually) and he was quite popular among the masses. He was a sweet, cuddly, all-around nice guy. He had a long-term partner at home, he had a good job, he consoled other people on the show when they were down. America loved him.

It was an illusion.

I sent him a message saying general things: hi, great profile, interesting stuff, etc…. Then I mentioned that I remembered him from the show. I didn’t act like a star-fu(ker** or anything like that. It was very “normal.” Nothing implied that I wanted to hook up or have sex or have anything more than just a little conversation.

He responded with two sentences and basically said that he dumped his long-term partner 3 years ago and said to let him know if I was going to an S&M event this spring because then I could meet him.

What a charmer.

*It wasn’t one of the sex-based sites (like Manhunt) – not that there’s anything wrong with that. It was more of a site for people to chat, email, and look at pretty pictures. Don’t judge me.

**keeping it clean since I’m using a work-based server. Besides, I’ve got my wholesome image to protect!

February 2nd, 2007
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 7 Comments

Despite having to dodge metalic circuit boards with Lite-Brite images of bird-waving aliens*, I managed to get together with my friend, Jen, for dinner last night. Instead of eating in the North End as we usually we do, we decided to drive out to the exciting city of Everett. Yes, Everett.

At least, I think it’s Everett. I guess it could be Malden or Medford? Either way, we ate at the gastronomic celebration that is the Texas Roadhouse. MMMMMMMMMMM

I played it safe with a half rack of ribs (which filled the plate – I can’t imagine what the full rack looks like). Trying to be healthy – especially after their butter soaked rolls which we then covered with even more cinnamon butter – I opted for the house salad and a side of “fresh vegetables”. The salad was healthy enough (aside from the hard-boiled egg)…but the “fresh” vegetables were literally soaking in a small bowl of melted butter. Nasty.

Still, the ribs (as always…I’d been there before) fell off the bone with no effort. I went home stuffed and watched American Idol.

*That has to be the stupidest guerilla advertising campaign. Did Turner Broadcasting/Cartoon Network not think that circuit board looking things with batteries and wires attached to bridges and underpasses wouldn’t freak people out in a post-9/11 world? I’m sure every single blog in Boston is going to write about this today so I don’t want it to be the focus of my blog….but let me just say that I hope Turner/Cartoon Network get fined up the ass and pays IN FULL the amount of money the state/city/transit authority spent investigating these things.

February 1st, 2007
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 4 Comments

It’s rare that I can’t get a song out of my head*, but I was watching LoGo on Monday night and they played this song on “New! Now! Next!” that I just can’t get out of my head.

It doesn’t come out until next week – and that’s only in Europe. And it’s going to be an import in the U.S. (which means the CD will cost $35.00). It’s also not appearing on iTunes…at least not yet. UGH.

But the song is wicked catchy – kinda’ reminds me of Freddie Mercury crossed with the Scissor Sisters…and some Bee-Gee’s falsetto for good measure. And the video looks like something John Cameron Mitchell could have directed (he of Hedwig and Shortbus). What’s not to love?

Anyway, the artist is Mika and the song is “Grace Kelly”. Here’s a link (I wasn’t saavy enough to link with the actual video appearing here so you’ll have to use the link):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzA0nG_PurQ

*It’s true! I rarely get a song stuck in my head despite the fact that I hum constantly. I guess that’s because I don’t know whem I’m humming so I’m not thinking about a particular song.

January 31st, 2007
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 3 Comments

Or, objects in this blog posting are closer to reality than I’d wish for them to appear.

Yesterday, while I was uploading my happy weekend photos onto this blog, I stumbled upon this photo:

It’s a picture of my niece a week before she died. Not unexpectedly, my mood went from care-free to sad, then to angry and then finally thankful.

I think it was just last week that I blogged about my sister-in-law being in the hospital again (with the same illness as my niece) and how fortunate I was that I’ve been blessed not to have any serious medical issues in my own life. However, looking at this photo again yesterday for the first time in over a year brought back a lot of memories (and a few choked back tears).

The anger is still there (about how this could happen) but there’s also a greater sense of taking advantage of the good health I’ve been given and making the most out of my life. Since her death (16 months ago), I’ve traveled the world, entered into a new and exciting relationship, made new friends, and got a degree from Harvard. I really think seeing her life cut so short really pushed me to live my own life to the fullest.

But the reality is still there; bad things lurk around every corner and the inevitable is, well, inevitable.

I very nearly didn’t post my weekend photos yesterday (the party, the pizza, the cannoli) after stumbling upon this photo, but I didn’t want to bring down my high from the weekend. I think there’s a place for celebration and a place for mourning. And I’m going to do my damndest to give myself more reasons to celebrate. Oh, I’ll still mourn. And I’ll still deal with the shit life throws my way. But I’m not going to let these things stop me from making the most of the one life I have.

Ugh -this posting has become way too “Lifetime TV special featuring Nancy McKeon and Meredith Baxter Birney”. Tomorrow will be more “Golden Girls” – I promise.

January 30th, 2007
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 6 Comments

I’m so glad for cameras because without photographic evidence I’d have very little recollection of this past weekend. It was simply one big blur of culinary excess.

Randy’s friend, Jen, arrived from NY (techincally Jersey City – but I won’t hold that against her) so we picked her up from the airport, brought her back to Randy’s place and ate wings and ribs and fries and onion rings. Lacking anything green, I do recall heating up some green beans – but anything healthy disappeared from my menu for the rest of the weekend.

Chris and Pete also came over so the five of us ate, chatted, drank wine, and played Hands and Feet (the card game). Randy won…by a landslide…and Jen came up with some new rules that should be implemented the next time we all play. Oh, did I mention that Jen baked some amazing cookies prior to her visit so I managed to eat at least 8 of them during the card game (they weren’t small, either).

On Saturday, we slept late then had Mexican food (from Anna’s Taqueria). I had a chicken quesadilla. Oh, and Randy baked some triple chocolate Ghiradelli brownies. Did I mention that Jen brought bags upon bags of her home-baked cookies? Yep – so I had more of those.

That night was Randy’s annual Re-Gifting Party; more or less a Yankee Swap where you bring the worst Christmas gift you received (or bought) and force somebody else to go home with it.

Of course, with any party there’s food. Lots of food. Cheese, crackers, pepperoni, lasagna, brownies. You get the picture. But the best part was watching what people unwrapped. From the inflatable purse to the Foghat poster from the 1970’s – it was damn hilarious. I ended unwrapping a burgundy wine-cozy. ugh. So I traded it for what I believe was the best gift of the evening….a giant Lucy head (from Peanuts). I was able to hold onto that until the 2nd to last swap took place when a vicious lesbian stole it from me. You just can’t trust sexual minorities. Wait, I am one. Never mind. I still like her – despite the fact that I went home with two pewter vases.

On Sunday, we woke up late (again). The day started off with brownies and cookies for breakfast. By mid-afternoon we finally got our asses out of the house and headed straight to Pizzeria Regina for lunch. We each ordered our own pizza. Then we decided to walk to the Customs House to see if my friend was working and could get us up to the 26th floor observatory. However, on the way there we passed Maria’s Bakery and couldn’t just walk by without popping in. Despite being full, we all ordered cannoli.

Unfortunately, the Customs House isn’t much farther away so we didn’t get to walk off much of the food. But Jen and Randy were both quite impressed with the Customs House and the views from the outside deck. We then drove her to the airport and returned to Randy’s to rest….and eat. More pizza, more brownies, more cookies.

Now, how do I remember all of this despite my coma-induced sugar high? Through photography! Jen and Randy carried cameras with them everywhere. So here’s the proof!

This is Peter trading his gift with Don.

This is Jen taking a picture of Randy taking a picture of Jen.

Here’s Chris proudly displaying his dalmation figurines.

…and here I model the Lucy head.

Here are Randy and Jen on the way to Pizzeria Regina.

And here we all are at Maria’s Bakery not 10 minutes after devouring 3 pizza’s.

And the last bit of evidence proving that we were at the Customs House.

January 29th, 2007
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 4 Comments

My goodness…just as I expected, that little teaser of childhood trivia yesterday sparked a lot of interest. Unfortunately, I can’t go into much detail on here since my friend reads this blog occasionally. But let’s just say that whenever the father and I were left in a room together (or in a car, or anywhere for that matter), he would tell me stories about his previous sexual experiences with men. Did I mention he was still married to my friend’s mother?

By the time I got to college, he would mail me porn magazines fairly regularly (which freaked me out for fear of them getting found). He never laid a hand on me, but he sure did try – for years. Though, to his credit, he never tried the physical things until I hit 18 years old (and was legal). Before then, it was just flirtation without any attempts at physical contact.

As a typical horny kid, I’m surprised I never let him do anything, though. I guess, even then, I had a wee bit of morality in me (where it has since gone is beyond me).

OK – enough incriminating evidence about my past. On to happier thoughts.

Here’s an updated world map of the places I’ve been (I’m including Mexico since I’ll be there in a few weeks). It appears that, aside from the U.S. and Canada, I tend to travel to tiny little countries. I mean, look at Europe! I’ve been to 4 countries there and it still looks like only a tiny red spot. Hell, you can barely even tell that I’ve been to Japan. I guess I need to change that with a trip to Russia, China, or Australia. Otherwise, it doesn’t look like I’ve been to many places.

create your own visited countries map

January 26th, 2007
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 2 Comments