Last week I decided to emerge from my shell, for one week. It’s been a year of forestry and novel writing and I needed a break from both so I decided to turn up the heat on my urban social life.


Monday evening rolled around and with nothing better to do I texted a friend to meet for dinner. We ended up at Porsena. As we were catching up at the bar, I realized that we probably should have been in a locker room rather than a civilized dining establishment. (My friend M is almost as blunt as I am when it comes to conversation and he isn’t even a Sadge.) I looked up from the first of many glasses of sparkling white wine and noticed that Jim Courier had just entered with a good looking woman. I thought it was his gf but after googling realized it was his much younger wife.
I had a pleasant first-taste experience when I tucked into a bowl of nodi marini, sailor’s knot.
Tuesday night I met one of my former assistants, L, for bon voyage drinks. She’s heading back to the West Coast. She’s finally able to laugh about the night we went out drinking 5 years ago and she got so hammered she threw up on me. (This has become one of her favorite New York City stories). It’s her, “I threw up on my boss story.” I finally got to hear her side bc she didn’t used to have a sense of humor about this incident and refused to speak of it. I filled her in on what happened after she threw up on me and passed out in the cab -- I had to go through her purse to find her license and hoped that it listed her current address. (It did. Phew.) Her roommate was super-surprised when I came through the door with a completely inebriated L hanging on my arm.
Wednesday night I attended Let Us Eat Local, Just Food’s annual gala. If you haven’t been -- but you love food sourced from local farmers, prepared by well-known (and/or famous) chefs, washed down with local wine, beer, or spirits – you should go. 2012 will no doubt be as stellar as the previous three events. Let Us Eat Local does not disappoint.

Thursday afternoon I handled the distribution of the veggies and eggs at my CSA and then hopped in the car  to jet to the country.

Friday and Satuday were a mish-mash of country living. Getting the house inspected, removal of invasive species (plants), a visit with a contractor to bid on some repairs. In the evening I watched Dead Man and The Fly. (Purchased at KMart for $5 and $7.50 respectively.) It occurred to me that both movies were the directors at their best. Nothing like unwinding one's mind to Jim Jarmush and David Cronenberg. More like wrinkling one's mind.

Sunday was a day I had been looking forward to for some time. The Jack Kerouac 5K in Lowell. I was stoked for this race, mostly I was ready to see what I was made of. (The course in Lowell wasn't nearly as bucolic or hilly as the Granby Steeple Race.) I managed to take note of a few things along the way: the large hill between mile 2 and 3 that was treelined and the only part of the course in shade, a kid who appeared to be selling drugs out of his car, the fact that the finish line seemed to be too far away from the mile two marker.
Monday thorugh Sunday: enjoying myself and pushing myself. And that folks is how I spell LIFE.

Totally skipped the Sabbath last week. This week I will attempt to learn how to spell SLEEP.