A beautiful night

Today after work, I went for a drink with a few coworkers to the Border Cafe.  Two margaritas and a few hours later, we decided to get dinner at Casablanca.  I had a delicious stuffed squash with spinach, which was more than I would normally be comfortable spending on dinner.  Luckily, I'm fairly sure the evening was comped due to the visit of our fine clients, with whom we were eating.  BK told some spectacular stories of his time in the Middle East and South America.  Casablanca saw me with two Stellas.  

Needless to say, the walk home was beautiful.

Around noon today, it started snowing, and has been doing so ever since.  At this point of the night, we're up to about a foot.  As I walked down Mass Ave, every so often I would run for a moment to gain some speed, then stop, plant my feet, and slide through the snow.  It was great.  Someone wrote "Hi!" in the snow on a mini van's window.  I wrote "Yo!" back.  I saw some people making a snake shape in the snow - I nearly stopped and asked if they wanted any help.  

It was a great walk.  It was snowing the whole way.  I called my brother at the beginning of the walk, but one of his kids was crying, so he said he'd call back.  I missed the call, what with my drunkenness, sliding, and general obliviousness, and I called him back when I had about ten minutes left to my walk, and we talked as I walked home.  

Apparently a building burned - to the ground - in New Haven.  It housed a bar that we went two once or twice.  They had a mechanical bull.  He said he walked by, but couldn't tell if the bull was still there.  I wonder what they'll build in its place.  

For lunch H, A and I (Hai!) went to Veggie Planet.  I had the special pizza - apples, brie, spinach, and honey glaze.  It was pretty good.   After work, we played a round of Ricochet Robots.  DR and I tied for first place.  At the end of the game, the last two tiles were for robots that were 1 move away from their target spaces.  Unheard of!

All in all, not a bad day.  I actually felt like a professional at work today.

Brush the snow from your hair

Tonight I went out for a walk in the snow.  I took the T to Harvard Sq. and walked around with all the other dark coated, scarved people.  Cambridge has put up all its Christmas lights (it did the Tuesday before Thanksgiving), and so everything was lit up like a holiday.  On my way in, it was snowing enough that I was thoroughly dusted by the time I stomped my boots in The Garage.  I tried to go to Veggie Planet - they were having some private function for Club Passim, and were only accepting orders for take out.  Eating outside wasn't really on the menu, so I tromped across the Square and sat down in Le's with its 95% Asian crowd.  The waitress made me feel out of place, and it was glorious.  I ordered summer rolls, Pho Chay, and tea and loved every bite and sip, though afterwards I felt rather full.  As I sat there, I re-read some of the lines I've written in my notebook.  The good ones are still good, the bad ones are still bad.  It's nice to see that hasn't changed; too often everything melds back towards mediocrity when aged.  After dinner I walked around the Square a few times, trying to decide if I really wanted coffee.  If I could have found someplace to buy some, I may have had something to keep my hands toasty on the walk home.  Peets was closed.  Dado was closed.  Dado on Mass Ave. closes at 6:00 PM every night, apparently.  The Starbucks on Church I habitually ignore.  I walked home back down Massachusetts Avenue feeling the cold on my face, and there was practically no one out.  A car would pass occasionally, driving five to ten miles per hour slower than usual, though whatever snow had fallen on the roads had already been turned to liquid.  

Earlier today I sang along to Bright Eyes, The Decemberists, Feist, Radiohead, Silversun Pickups, Spoon, The Strokes, and Voxtrot while I did laundry and cleaned my apartment.  The place looks better.  It's funny how when you move into a space, some things take up residence in inconvenient places.  I took the opportunity to move my CDs across the apartment and to organize the mess that is the cable modem/router and their various cords.  Both make more sense now.  As usual, my electric guitar continues to migrate around the apartment.  

This morning I shaved my beard, such as it was.  Side burns and soul patch have stayed.  To me, I look about ten years younger.  So continues the ever-changing facial hair/hair styles of The Joy Boys.