Home Again, Home Again, Higgety Jig

I'm home. Here's how I did in accomplishing my goals from Thursday's blog:
1. Check
2. Check, although not as much as I'd hoped
3. Check - found 3 out of 4 gaps in my collection
4. Check - although the experience was pretty disappointing*

*The bakery was a small place, which I was prepared for, but there was a strong feeling of anti-American (anti-English?) sentiment from patrons and employees. They were out of most of the hot food, but we got the last remaining empanada to share and an arepa chocolo (sweet corn arepa) with cheese each. The arepa was tasty, although I prefer arepas made with masarepa. Overall, the trip probably wasn't worth the 45 minute drive into the city, the 20 minute wait and the 45-minute drive back to the burbs. Shame.

My visit was cut short and I drove home through the night, finally pulling into my driveway at 3:30 this morning. Thank God for Doctor Who CD's or I'm sure I would have fallen asleep on a half-dozen occasions.

I didn't make it to dinner with the Boardies Saturday evening, but I did get to spend some of time with my friend Tammy. She went to a lot of trouble fixing up her place to host me and it showed. And I got to spend a bit of time with my friend Ben at the con. We attended a panel by Ahmet Zappa, with whom Ben has a connection, but I chickened out when Ben offered to introduce me. Curse me!

It wasn't the weekend I planned/hoped for, but you'll have that. It had good points and not-so-good points, but hey, isn't that a microcasm of life itself?

Chicagoland Once More

I'm typing this from a Panera Bread franchise in Downers Grove, IL. I'm back in Chicagoland to, in order of importance:

1. See my friend Tammy
2. Hang with VA Boardies
3. Attend the Wizard World comic convention in Rosemont and fill some holes in my comic collection
4. Find a Colombian bakery in Lincoln Square (Mekatos) that is famous for its arepas and sample my favorite Colombian/Venezuelan corn bread... The empanadas are supposed to be delish as well.

The drive here was relaxing and uneventful. I threw a stack of Doctor Who Big Finish CD's in the car for entertainment and made a couple of sidetrips to spots that struck my fancy along the way. I didn't encounter any real traffic until I hit I-294. My new BlackBerry buzzed more than a few times, but I've successfully ignored anything work-related.

So now I'm chillin' and waiting for Tammy to join me at the sushi place next door for dinner. When I'm home on Sunday, I'll post again with details on how well I met my objectives.

Salud!

"Sensuous" Can Have Many Meanings

I had one of the most sensuous experiences of my life yesterday. And I shared it with two beautiful women.

My dear friend Missie and I planned a barbecue for Saturday. She was picking up swordfish steaks and I was making a spinach salad and bringing margarita makings. Along the way, another friend, Lisa, joined the festivites, contributing a broccoli caserole. I was in charge of the grill (man + fire = good) and we grilled skewers of squash, onions and zucchini. The afternoon meal was fantastic! The day was a bit too hot to sit outside, so we ate indoors.

The salad I prepared was a study in contrasts: baby leaf spinach, mardarin oranges, sweet peas, crumbled bacon, sliced hearts of palm (thanks to José Luis for turning me on to those) and shredded extra-sharp cheddar with a sweet and sour dressing. The idea is to stimulate all five taste areas of the tongue while keeping the flavors in balance.

As day turned into evening, it seemed like we just could not pull ourselves away from one another. We moved outside and eventually got hungry again. Missie, God love her, prepared a massive snacking tray with fruits and veggies and crackers and cheeses. We started talking about combining flavors and savoring all that life has to offer. As darkness approached, we discovered many joys of combining sweet and savory, tangy and tart. (Our favorite: fresh strawberries stuffed with bleu cheese and followed with a dry, red wine.)

We finally, regretfully parted ways sometime after midnight. It was one of the most relaxing, indulgent, exciting, sensuous days of my life.

Here's to sharing life's treasures with good friends!


Speaking of good friends, José Luis has been gone for more than a week now. He loved Turbo. Saying goodbye to him was not easy. The Monday after he went back to Spain, I called him and we chatted for a few moments. His mom got on the phone and thanked me for finding the Go-Bot and for being so kind to her son. I was very touched. José and I exchanged e-mails throughout his holiday week in Spain. Yesterday, while I was having the time of my life, he flew back to England and his self-imposed exile from all he loves. My thoughts are with him. I hope, when I read back to this posting a year from now, that we will still be in touch.