smAlbany
On Friday I got out of work early and Jeff and I headed out to Slingerlands, a suburb of Albany, NY, to visit Amrys and her folks for the weekend. Am's mom and the Good Doc (Doc, what happened to your blog?) provided good food, holiday cheer, and a lot of amusing anecdotes and advice, as always. Weekend highlights included:
Good eats - It seemed as if food was being prepared at all hours over the course of the weekend. Undoubtedly holiday preparations were the cause of this, but Jeff and I were the beneficiaries of this gastronomic largesse. The Williams made a roasted lamb which came out just before Jeff and I arrived. One of Jeff's relatives had given his family a basket full of homemade preserves, and, knowing what was on the menu, Jeff brought along a jar of mint jelly. The jelly was the perfect compliment to a heavenly lamb - moist, garlicky, with a simple yet delicious herb crust. The leftover lamb found its way into a curry the next night. The Good Doc slung some of the best homefries and eggs I've had for breakfast each morning.
Good reads - On Saturday we went off to do some Christmas shopping at a few Albany locations. One of these proved to be a great stop for me personally - Dove & Hudson, a used book store (296 Hudson Ave., Albany, NY; right on the eponymous corner). It was a small shop but it was packed with a pretty good selection of stuff, including a decent fiction section. The gent who ran it was also a character, helpful and rather witty. I managed to pick up a few choice books:
- Prague, by Arthur Phillips. I've read Phillips' The Egyptologist, and I liked it quite a bit. He wrote Prague prior to The Egyptologist, and it was well-received.
- If on a winter's night a traveler, by Italo Calvino. Full credit for this goes to Am, who literally put it atop the pile of books I was assembling as I poked through the shelves. I've heard good things about this and decided to go with Am's literary judgment (which I have found to be very reliable).
- The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana, by Umberto Eco. I've read a couple of Eco's novels, and I'm currently in the middle of The Island of the Day Before. I'm becoming a fan, and it was impossible to pass up a beautiful paperback in perfect condition.
- Infinite Jest, by David Foster Wallace. I took perhaps the biggest chance on this one. Am gave it a mixed review; I read an excellent review of it and I've heard good things in the past from a couple people. It's massive, and will require a lot of time, dedication, and effort to slog through, I reckon. I don't think this will be at the top of my To-Read List for some time, but it was hard to pass up a paperback in very good condition sitting there screaming to be purchased.
- Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke. This was probably the coolest find. I've heard many good things about this, and it's been on and off my radar for a while, but I zoned right in on it when I saw it sitting on the shelf. An earnest recommendation from Jeff sealed it for me. I think this will climb toward the top of my list.
"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire..." - Not only did we have a cozy fire on Saturday night, but we roasted chestnuts in a popcorn-popper. This was cool and kind of fun, although chestnuts are surprisingly starchy. They are tasteless raw, but after some prolonged roasting they have a curious taste similar to roasted potatoes. Not unpleasant, but takes a while to get used to it.
The Mark - Manhattans and hot water bourbon with Maker's Mark; pleasant accompaniments to a roaring fire on a cold winter's night.
Getcha flax here! Two-I-got-two-I-got-two-two-two - A rousing game of Pit, the exciting card game that simulates the U.S. Corn Exchange! It's actually a very simple game that's good fun for a group. I believe I had a score of -20, which is horrendous.
Of course it was great to have the A-Side Lounge reunited for the first time in a while. With one in England and one in Wisconsin (and yours truly in the Hub) it's not too often that we can do this. Nice to be back together, if only for a short time. Getting a bit dusty in here...
Thanks to Am's parents for a wonderful, fun, relaxing weekend. Two nicer, more generous, more genuine people I will be hard pressed to meet.
6 comments:
What happened to The God Doc?--Now THEREIN rests a question I cannot answer with certainty, but I do presume - and it is mere presumption - that HeWhoRidesHorses has recently decided (looking at his Home Planet) that those who have not posted at all in x months [me, among others] must have lost interest.
Not at all: I check in several times in a ten day period but have been all but bent over backwards in recent months (volunteering for several organizations and taking on very different leadership roles in our church, etc.) just trying to keep up with a) mail and b) the inevitab le bills that come in it.
Can't blame the good man in question for making a rush to judgment, but I also know that his generosity in making the site available to me and others over such a LONG period of time was more than appreciated: I would not mind continuing, which was within my "Will Do" plans for 2008. But then ... I have not heard from the good man in some time: in dual fairness "...you would have thought..."
Perhaps he will run into this commentary and relent ... OR I could write him email once again ... OR HE MIGHT JUST be rolling through on the bike next spring/summer and give a call for a good meal and an overnight of rousing good conversation.
We'll see.
Glad you like your visit, Mhre! We surely appreciate the way you fellas pitch in when you are here, making the slight load that goes with extra folks at table so easy as to be unfelt: you and Jeff are easy guests.
Thank YOU!
Hisself and SWMBO
God?
Ahem!
I am powerful in my own right and rites, but NOT God or a god.
R
Yes, I understand the ups and downs of blogging, whether for lack of interest, motivation, or simply time due to other obligations. It's natural for most of us.
But I sincerely hope he reinstates you, Doc! If not, there are plenty of other options out there, this here Blogger.com included (free). I would email him again.
But perhaps a new blog is just what the [Good] doctor ordered for 2008?
Wish I could have been there!
It was great to have you guys out here, because, of course, a-side always hangs out. It was a great welcome home.
Yay! Weren't there a couple pics that should be making their way to the internets?
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