Joy!

Last week in Boston was a time near and dear to my withered black heart, a time of joy and redemption. Yes, children, I'm talking about that most magical of weeks - Restaurant Week 2007. This is the time of year when I feel justified in visiting restaurants that loom far out of my price range because, while I still end up spending a pretty penny on a meal, it's a comparative bargain - 30 clams gets you an appetizer, an entree, and dessert. Considering that this year's chosen restaurant sells a $14 hot dog, it would be foolish NOT to go.

The venue is called the Butcher Shop, and it is less of a restaurant and more of wine bar slash, well, butcher shop. A person can buy fine cured meats and other savories right there in the restaurant, and salamis are artfully hung overhead in various states of becoming tasty. That said, it's a stylish little joint, with a handsome soapstone bar and similar tables. The atmosphere is intimate and reminiscent of the Paris bistro that probably only exists in my head.

But let's get real here. Who cares what the place looks like, how's the food?

I've got to say, this was probably the most impressed I've been with an R-week restaurant, because they usually aren't bring their A-game to the prix-fixe cheapsters. The food is always good, but also very clearly sub-par to the regular menu. Not so at the Butcher Shop, though I did have pangs about not being able to order the charcuterie plate (I'll get you next time, Gadget!).

We started with quail galantines. These clever little morsels were served with dabs of apricot conserves and pistachios - a fantastic contrast of richness, sweetness, and salt. They were also paired with a slightly vinegary, bitter salad that rounded out the flavors.

Next we went with the hanger steak, which arrived on a bed of chive-infused potatoes and, for my personal bliss, caramelized onions. The steak was cooked perfectly (I had medium-rare while my dining companion had bloody, both cooked precisely as we'd requested) and was just enough to be satisfying. It also paired well with the wine special we'd ordered, an Italian red apparently grown in Mount Vesuvius -infused soil that I luckily can't recall the name of (because I'm sure I could not afford a bottle).

Finally, for dessert I had the mascarpone cheesecake. This was served with maple syrup and chocolate cookie crumbs. Since I am a sucker for maple, this was the clear dessert choice, but this was borne out further by the fact that in addition to being rich, creamy and smooth, the cheesecake was slightly salty rather than overbearingly sweet. I adore salt and sweet together, so I couldn't have been happier.

All in all a splendid evening, and a fine kickstart to my new dining experiences in 2007. Now I just need to taste that charcuterie plate...

Manifesto - What's it all about?

Bear with me people. After this, I'll stop being all introspective and go back to reporting on weird happenings and things that amuse me. (sneak preview: lightbulb jokes!)

Ok, so what's the deal with my little list? Largely it's to do with the fact that when I spend a lot of time on my own, my thoughts take on this weird, text-book kind of quality in which I become overly analytical to not much end. But now, in the age of the internet, I can learn how others do the same thing! Fun AND educational.

On to the rundown:

1.Everyone has the ability to create her/himself as the person he/she wants to be, aka: If you believe it, everyone else will.
What does it all mean: Basically, I feel like people, including myself at times, get caught up in how other people see them, and let that define them. But, my friends, this does not have to be the case. More and more I see that people regard you in the way you present yourself to them, not the other way around. If you believe hard enough that you are a certain way: happy, seductive, mysterious - other people will think you are, too.

2.Personal drama is both completely commonplace and completely unique to you. And that is ok.
Say what?: Everyone has broken up at some point, or been sad that their dog died, or been unhappy with how they look. No one is special for going through those things. How they affect you and your choices, however; I think that's different for everyone. And others going through it doesn't make it hurt any less. It just means you're not entitled to become the center of the universe because of it.

3.Very little is worth getting worked up over.
Whatchu say?: Um, this one is fairly self-explanatory. Though sometimes I feel like I am in the minority in this belief.
4.Education is critical.
What's it all about: Again, um, obvious. Kind of. What I really mean is that I firmly believe that everyone is entitled to the same education, regardless of background. I'm a product of a public school that actually worked. I hope someday they'll all be like that.
5.Loyalty is the greatest human virtue.
Huh?: I can forgive a lot of faults if someone is there for me when I need them to be. And in return, I try to be there when people need me.

6.But a sense of humor runs a close second.
Waddya mean?: Secretly, in my dark, self-absorbed heart, I mean that I like people better if they think I'm funny. It helps if they make me laugh too, though.

Should any newcomers stumble across this blog somehow, the question stands: What are the things you believe, deep down inside you? What gets you through the day, the week, life?

That Which I Believe

It's manifesto time here at the Red Menace stronghold. So here are my self-evident truths:

1.Everyone has the ability to create her/himself as the person he/she wants to be, aka: If you believe it, everyone else will.

2.Personal drama is both completely commonplace and completely unique to you. And that is ok.

3.Very little is worth getting worked up over.

4.Education is critical.

5.Loyalty is the greatest human virtue.

6.But a sense of humor runs a close second.

Guess that's it for now. Later I will post an explanation/expansion of each of these, but for now, question time. What do you believe in?

I am not running a babysitting service

Hi kids.

First of all, thanks to everyone who's taken my quiz so far. There are some interesting patterns to the results, which I'll analyze a bit later. (I'm hoping to con at LEAST my remaining siblings into taking it before that, though)

In the meantime, we'll continue the "get to know each other" bit with a little story about how I spend my Saturday mornings (NOT a question on the quiz!). During the school year, I am a tutor at Boston Latin School's Saturday Success School program. In the last two years, I've been the lead tutor in the English room. For three hours a week, I work with about 60 kids and 5-12 tutors, trying to fit them together in such a way that the kid learns something, the tutor feels useful, and I don't go out of my ever-loving mind. It's one of the best parts of my week, and I wouldn't give it up, even for the extra sleep (we start at 9, a fact which is particularly relevant to this rant).

That said, there are a few things about it that drive me crazy, the number one being when the kids don't take it seriously. Now look. I was 13 once, too, unbelievable though that might seem. And no 13 year old likes school, especially on Saturday. But if you're already up to be at school at 9 am, you might as well try to get something out of it, right? So why do the same people come into my class each week without something to do, even though I've told them that it's about more than just homework about 1,000 times? Why did FIVE students show up at least ten minutes late to my class today? Why, oh why, did one student suggest that he could play tic-tac-toe for the period?

I have adults coming in to help these kids, and they are not getting paid. Guess what happens if they have no one to tutor, or they have to work with a surly teenager who refuses to crack his copy of To Kill a Mockingbird? They don't come back. Then, when I need help because my room has swollen to 20 kids at one go, I'm stuck.

Obviously, teenagers are gonna be teenagers and there's not much you can do about it. And I still had a great morning talking a kid through the Trojan War, and watching my most distractable kid actually learning vocabulary with his tutor. But dear god, if I wanted someone to baby, I'd go have one.

PS: I feel this way about my day job, also. And that is working with ostensible adults. Rant over.

I've been tagged for a quiz!

Giant Wow tagged me to play in the "make a quiz about yourself" game. So here it is:

Are You Prepared for The Red Menace

Should anyone actually attempt to take this, it will probably be nigh impossible, as I never update. But think of how much you'll LEARN about me.

Edited for caveat: Question 2 has no right answers, because I am dolt and counted myself, as those of you who know the RIGHT answer should know. So plus one because I'm brain-dead. AWESOME.

Strange Dream

I feel funny posting this, because generally, other people don't want to hear about your dreams. But then I figured, if you're coming here and reading about my life and adventures: 1. you are more likely to be interested and 2. It's reading, not listening, so you can skip it So here it is.
The boy and I were broken up, as we are, but living together at my parents' house.
He was planning to marry these two Israeli girls (who were super pale, which struck me as odd. And how did I know they were Israeli?) The reason he could marry them both was that there was an obscure loophole in the law that if the person performing the service was encased in bees, the polygamy would be legal. The bees were funneled onto the woman presiding over the marriage, which was taking place on the fireplace hearth in the den. I was responsible for holding the bee funnel, but I didn't have to wear any special clothing or anything. Just jeans and a teeshirt, funnelin' bees.
After the wedding, I was chatting with the new brides, and we found the boy's journal, which had sticky edges on its pages - like a Post-it note. I suppose it was to keep snoops like us out, but we didn't let it deter us. I mean, Post-It Note glue isn't exactly the world's strongest adhesive. We read how he'd planned this entire "dump TRM, marry these two girls" affair, but what was apparently upsetting to one of them was that he also revealed that he was fantatically into Star Wars. (this is untrue. He likes Star Wars, but not in an all out geek way.) She was horrified to learn that she'd been tricked into marrying a nerd. The other bride seemed disinterested and was just wandering around the den. I looked out the window and saw that the boy had constructed a large swimming pool under the big pinetree next to my parents' house, and knew that my dad would be pissed - it was going to screw up the drainage to his yard.

No idea what this is saying about my feelings on this breakup, but that bee funnel thing was sweet. Usually my dreams are boring.

Or Not

So, I've not written here for a few months. There are a lot of reasons for this, mostly to do with 2006 NOT being very happy, though certainly full of change. I don't really want to go too far into it, particularly as the one person I KNOW reads this already knows the whole story, but it involves losing two people I care about very much, though one not in a completely permanent way.

But mourning time has passed, and onward and upward is our motto at Red Menace enterprises. So!

Something I'm proud of recently is this:


It's only my second pullover and intarsia project, and I'm delighted with how it came out, particularly since it's been sub-zero with the wind chill here in sunny Boston.

Something I've been listening to a lot of recently is this:
http://www.eelstheband.com Mark Oliver Everett writes happy songs about sad things, and sad songs about sad things, and rocking songs about sad things. He's doing a better job of expressing my feelings lately than I can do for myself.

Something I've noticed lately: The weird way the stuff I like spreads to other people like a delicious virus.
This primarily due to Stephanie, who, though she will never admit it, is better with people than I am and proselytizes about our common interests. We've traded so many good things between each other that some of our lists: books, music, hilarious yet geeky cartoon shows, are eerily similar to one another. She just better at getting the word out than I am. So thanks Steph, for sharing what you like with me, for liking what I share with you, and for sharing what we like with the world.

Happy 2006!

And for everyone I know, I hope that it is the year of big (positive) changes. 2005 seemed to be the year of stalling out - let's all try to move forward in the new one.

My New Year's Eve was spent quietly, which is how I like them. I'm not a big of crowds and heavy drinking. My only requirement for a successful NYE is to consume the traditional family food - Chex Mix. Everyone in my family eats this like we're starving on New Year's Eve, and at no other time. It can't be the store-bought, bagel-chip filled abomination either; it needs to be made at home, in the oven. We also add Cheerios, which is apparently our own innovation, but a completely necessary one. How do you make the little pretzel stick cars without them?

This NYE I was joined by Stephanie, who feels pretty much as I do about crowds and drunkards. Despite it just being the three of us (my cat Sam joined us as well) we had a lovely time. We drank fizzy Shiraz (did you know such a thing even existed?) seared tuna, played Scrabble, and ate copious amounts of Chex Mix, naturally. Here is the finished Scrabble board in all of its glory: (it was only a 3 point game!)

All in all, it was a capital evening at the Menace household. I hope everyone else had a fantastic holiday season, and here's to 2006 - may it be filled with the best kind of change.