Popcorn and M&Ms: March On!

Dear Mom,

Wow, a month has flown by! I got out of the habit of posting and then just got lazy. Of course you don't need a silly blog to know you are ALWAYS on my mind and in my heart. But here are a few things I would have enjoyed sharing with you...

Since St. Pat's Day is Monday, I'll make it a little 17-item roundup of recent events:

1. Spring is on the way!

Last Saturday, I had a fantastic jog in the park. It was in the mid-50s. It's the same way today, and I should be back out there, but I am, er, in need of rest. More on that in a minute.

2. Bahamas trip! (AKA Spring Break 2014)

I posted all of the photos on Facebook, but here are a few of my favorites. So much fun!! When I was standing in line at immigration, the steel drum band started to play, and I had a POWERFUL sense of your presence saying, "YOU GO, GIRLS!!!" I knew you would be so excited for us and so happy I was treating myself to something special. It has been good to have this long, cold winter to mourn and feel sad when I needed to, and of course I miss you terribly, but I know you want me to be out doing fun things and enjoying my friends. It was such a terrific group, and we all loved every minute. We played on the water slides like we were little kids.

3. The Ashby Family

Ellen, George, Preston and Forrest were here last week for Spring Break and treated me to dinner at a delicious Greek place on Friday night. It was wonderful to see all of them. They enjoyed the gorgeous weather on Saturday too, and Ellen sent me this snap of them on the Brooklyn Bridge.

5. Clarice's Birthday

Ranie Claire's birthday was last Sunday. I amused myself by posting a shout-out from Luke Duke, above. We thought it was so cool in elementary school that Ranie's bday is 3/9, mine is 9/3, and Tom Wopat's is 9/9. This was back when we thought a half birthday was a real thing...

6. Bargain Hunting

I almost bought this skirt at the Carlisle outlet Melissa introduced me to...it was marked down to $25 from some ridiculous price, but then I remembered I have bought too many on sale skirts, and if you don't get the perfect top, you never wear it. I've decided to focus on dresses at bargain basement establishments.

7. TJ Queen

LA was tickled to find a crazy deal on a new piece of her Hartmann luggage at TJ's in San Diego. It turns out they have "runway" sections at certain stores with higher end brands. I went to my trusty depot near Columbus Circle and found some tempting items, but I stopped myself from buying an Elie Tahari sequined skirt marked waaaay down. See above. In addition to lacking a perfect top, I was lacking an occasion for which a sequined skirt might be appropriate!

8. Fun with Travey

Travis and I met up recently for brunch at Jeffrey's Grocery in the Village. He'd already eaten, but he was still a good sport about sharing a bloody mary and a seafood tower with me. Then we saw the Oscar live action shorts. So fun! I really love those. You can get them via some of the on demand outlets, but we went to the IFC Theater on 6th Ave. It was my third year in a row of seeing them, and it's a fun little tradition.

9. Oscar On Demand

I ran up a nice little cable bill at home watching:

Captain Phillips

12 Years a Slave

Dallas Buyers Club

Gravity

Blue Jasmine

In theaters, I saw:

American Hustle

August: Osage County

I considered writing a whole blog post about August, as it gave me much to ponder, but I'll just say it made me deeply grateful for the strength and grace with which you handled your cancer. It was awful watching sisters at odds with each other and a selfish, whackadoodle mama. I'm not sure whether I'm glad I saw it or not, but I guess it put a new spin on our own recent funeral hijinks. My comment to my friends was, "Why pay good money to watch a movie about a fictional dysfunctional family when you can watch your own for free?!"

I know you hated Woody Allen, and I felt a little guilty watching Blue Jasmine given the recently revived molestation controversy, but it really was an amazing movie. Cate Blanchett was profiled on 60 Minutes, and I loved this quote so much I wrote it down:

"A lot of us, our lives are built on a fictional sense of self -- who we aspire to be versus who we actually are."

10. Oscars

Jared Leto gave the sweetest speech recognizing his mother. Of course it made me cry.

11. The Boys

Adam and I had a fun dinner at Marea when Will was in town. It was a bit of a midweek budget buster, but we all loved it. Will is such a doll. He asked the Quincy Facebook gang if anyone's ears were burning. ;)

12. Yikes

I have been texting with my pals about the latest "great publicity" for our alma mater. Is that proof positive that book smarts and common sense do not always go together or what? Jeez, I can't imagine making such terrible choices at such a young age. Poor gal.

13. Thank you, thank you, thank you

The notes Miss Patsy got us from Art in Gadsden have come in handy for writing notes in appreciation of the sweet donations people have made in your memory to Big Bend Hospice, Centenary and RFM. I amused myself sending this card to someone I thought would appreciate it. I'm probably about the youngest person in Quincy who remembers this landmark building!

14. Sweet Treats

Have been enjoying the homemade cane syrup that Libboo sent me in her care package! Dennis is such a sweetie. I put some blueberries in my waffles last weekend.

15. Harlem Nights

The SSGs had a night out in Harlem recently, as Marianne is moving to California, so her time to enjoy her neighborhood is limited. We all got dressed up (note this was the THIRD time my leather dress made it out this winter!) and hit several fun spots. We are actually doing a repeat tonight for M's going away party. I am a little worried whether I can hang, as I'm kinda running on fumes. Because...

16. Restaurant Bucket List

A good friend of LA's was in town on business and let me join his gang for dinner at Le Bernardin. It was amazing...we did the tasting menu + wine pairings. But that combined with pre- and post-dinner cocktails did not set little Lyns up for success at the office! Oopsie. Someone is too old for such midweek nonsense. It was delicious and such a treat. I wish I could go back and taste it all again.

Chef's Tasting Menu
BAY SCALLOP-SEA URCHIN
Nantucket Bay Scallops and Sea Urchin; Marinated Granny Smith Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette
Reuilly, Sauvignon Blanc, Domaine de Reuilly, “Les Pierres Plates”, Loire, France 2012
KING FISH-CAVIAR
Warm King Fish “Sashimi”; Osetra Caviar, Light Marinière Broth
Yuki No Bosha, Yamahai Junmai Sake
LANGOUSTINE
Sautéed Langoustine; Truffle and Chanterelle Aged Balsamic Vinaigrette
Côtes de Jura, Chardonnay, En Griffez, Domaine de L’Aigle á Deux Têtes, Jura, France 2011
CRAB
King Crab Medley; Warm Matsutake Custard, Seaweed-Shiitake Broth
Carrot Eau de Vie, Hans Reisetbauer, Austria
HALIBUT
Poached Halibut; Opal Basil and Shaved Fennel Red Miso Citrus Sauce
Riesling, “Dragonstone”, Leitz, Rheingau, Germany 2012
WHITE TUNA-KOBE BEEF
Grilled Escolar and Seared Wagyu Beef; Fresh Kimchi Asian Pear, Soy-Lemon Emulsion
Nebbiolo d’Alba, Cerretta, Giacomo Conterno, Piedmont, Italy 2009
PISTACHIO
Passion Fruit Mousse, Meyer Lemon, Pistachio Ice Cream
Muscatel “Seleccion Especial #1”, Jorge Ordóñez, Malaga, Spain 2011
S'MORES
Smoked Madagascan Chocolate Crémeux, Graham Cracker Sablé Tahitian Vanilla Ice Cream
“Sitia” Late Harvest, Domaine Oikonomoy, Greece 2000

The scallops and sea urchin had a citrus sauce that made everything seem so fresh and light. I loved the broth on the king fish and caviar (mariniere is a white wine and mussel broth). The richness of the truffle with the langoustine was so decadent, and it was perfect as a small dish. I would absolutely return...even if I were on my own dime next time! Thank goodness for generous friends. ;)

17. Bop in NYC

This just in from the Bedenbaugh gang. Hope to see them tomorrow.