Things I Like — 2/9/10
This is the first in what I hope will be a regular feature, if you can call anything I write here a “feature.”
Apple & Brie sandwiches. This is my current food obsession. I usually get one from Udi’s when we have a meeting at work, but I’ve started making my own, too. The ingredients are as follows:
- two slices of dense, preferably crispy bread (nuts optional but good); currently, I’m using Private Selection Harvest Grain from King Soopers (Udi’s uses their own walnut bread, which is to die for)
- enough slices of Brie to cover a slice of bread (I err on the side of using too much, which always is my problem with cheese)
- a little scattering of chopped walnuts over the Brie (optional)
- thinly sliced apple (I recommend gala apples for this; you won’t use the whole apple for one sandwich; I always share the extra with the dogs)
- nice greens of some sort (I’ve been using spinach, but any mixed greens that are fancier than iceberg would be fine)
- a generous amount of honey mustard
Baby clothes. Baby clothes are a good lesson in impermanence; I absolutely love them but they don’t last long because Soren grows out of stuff so fast. My current favorite is a jumpsuit from Old Navy. It’s white and covered with gray script that says, “I love Mommy. I love Daddy. I love Everybody. Mommy loves me. Daddy loves me. Everybody loves me. I am loved.” Yes you are, little guy.
Places I’ve lived. I’ve always thought that places are as important as people — where you live is like a character in your life. Sometimes I get all nostalgic and start missing places I’ve lived, most of which are awesome. Favorites include the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago (awesome gym practically across the street, Ann Sather cinnamon rolls and omelets, funky little stores, super-cheap artichoke or spinach and feta pockets plus fresh figs for dinner, restaurants with belly dancers); Oak Park, IL (the most beautiful place I’ve ever lived, Thai food, Italian food, Indian food, pizza, fresh pumpkin loaf, FOOD; walking to and from the train or the el, the farmers’ market, long late-night walks and the random cats you encounter on the way; the Green Line from start to finish, architecture, everything green in summer ); Nederland, CO (dark starry nights, the amazing silence of a tiny mountain town, unpaved streets, dogs everywhere, SNOW, satellite internet because that’s all you get up there, cute little houses, early dinners because stuff doesn’t stay open late, the gym [now gone] next to the beer store). I really hope to get back to Chicago this year (we used to go once a year but didn’t make it in 2009).
Plans for good weather. I’ve always liked winter, but having a fresh new baby is making it very hard for me to appreciate snow and cold. I am so looking forward to even the little things we do every year when it’s nice outside; it’s nice to have a new appreciation for these things:
- Rockies games
- beer gardens (I’m sure a baby can enjoy sitting outside while mom and dad have a frosty beverage)
- shopping for and planting flowers and vegetables
- Ben grilling while I sit at the table in our backyard and DJ on my computer
- long walks in and around the neighborhood (looking forward to when Soren is old enough for the super-awesome jogging stroller and it’s nice enough outside to use it)
- City Park Jazz
- the Rubber Duck Race in Boulder
- hanging out in the yard in a tiny, inflatable pool on really hot days
- hiking in the mountains, followed by beer and pizza at Oskar Blues (I really want to take Soren to Sandbeach Lake, which is just about the best place I’ve ever been)
- ‘hood noises, including the silly music and the car alarm that goes off every time a truck drives by (which will annoy me very much after I hear it a few times this year)
- exploring new stuff downtown.
Our neighborhood. Okay, so we live in the ‘hood. I maintain that, one day, this will be an up-and-coming area — it’s showing signs of this already. Fortunately, in our neighborhood, people are buying houses and fixing them up, instead of tearing them down and building ugly-ass McMansions and/or townhouses, like they’re doing in fancier neighborhoods like Wash Park and the Highlands. I’m happy that our neighborhood is getting a little nicer without losing its character, because the character is one of the reasons we like it here (well, that and the fact that we can afford to live here).
