Snow storm number three in one week hit yesterday - we were promised flurries, and we got snow, snow and snow. After the snow storms on Thursday (#1) and Sunday (#2), which left us with another foot or two of snow, Mother Nature calmed down just a wee bit, only to rev it up again today big time. Welcome to winter in Boston! The official calendar start for the winter season was today, but we started about a month or so ago, and I am pretty convinced that this will be one for the record books. Yesterday another six inches piled on in some areas; maneuvering with that fashionable surgical boot of mine has become nearly impossible, and I think it may stay home when I am heading to Germany tomorrow morning. Its rehabilitory effects seem to be minimal, and the darn thing weights a ton, so I may restrict the medical equipment I drag along to the night splint, which does seem to help. I know I am whining and should just suck it up, I saw a guy on Tuesday night at the T stop, barefoot in flip flops.....
The weather over the past ten days has led to total movie mania in my house, I rent them, buy them, and have watched every single movie I own. With the kind of weather we have been experiencing, there are only a few essential survival tools one needs - if the heater works, and there is take out food and hot cocoa, life can be nice and cozy inside, and I for one, could hang out at home for days.
This week has been filled with holiday dinners, holiday lunches, and I am seriously looking at strict dietary restrictions for the New Year. This cannot continue! Stop the Madness!! Enough with the cookies!! I am going to be one of those sad people armed with New Year's resolutions that involve going to the gym daily and eating Weight Watchers meals. Not looking forward to it.
Here is the social report:
Monday night, dinner with Darrell and Susan from the Translational Research Lab (where I spend my Wednesdays) at the Beacon Hill Bistro (http://www.beaconhillhotel.com/bistro.html) - one of the snazziest restaurants in Beacon Hill. The food there is just phenomenal - my choice was sauteed skate wing with spinach, acorn squash, brown butter noisette in a red wine glaze. Guess what I had for desert? Creme Brulee of course, this one of the maple-ish vanilla-y sort accompanied by roasted/ candied hazelnuts - divine, divine, divine! And I am not just saying that because I had a pomegranate margarita.
Tuesday night - 4 S Wine Group takes a field trip to North Quincy, where the lovely and designated bodacious Holly Drumm hosted us lonely souls in her new pad that overlooks the ocean. Getting there was not too easy, every sidewalk was iced over, I could not find a cab, Hannah was stuck in traffic, I had no money - you get the picture. I actually hobbled down the street, found a bank, Hannah found me and all was well. Holly wined and dined us with real Vermont cheddar cheese, authentic Chinese food, mulled and not-so mulled wines from Santa Barbara, California, and excellent, excellent, excellent German deserts courtesy of the Konditor Meister in Braintree (http://www.konditormeister.com/). Needless to day, Hannah had to roll me to the car! Discussions were spirited and we learned all about GAPs (Greek American Princesses) from our friend Christos. If you need more information, let me know, I'll give you his e-mail.
Wednesday the Cancer Center Pathology Lab Group at MGH went for lunch at the newly remodeled Ristorante Toscano on Charles Street (http://www.weseatyou.com/restaurants/701/toscano/tour.html) - again very nice food, and our hat goes off to John, the lab director, who did not mind being the only guy with 10 women yapping away excitedly. This slightly overextended lunch pretty much segued nicely into Happy Hour, where Georgiana, Susan, Anne and I visited the "Alibi" bar at the Liberty Hotel next door (http://www.alibiboston.com/). Apparently the bar used to be the "Drunk Tank" for the former jail (which now is the hotel) - which makes it a fitting choice. I have chosen to forgive the bartender for not knowing how to mix a Hurricane, and coming up with a reasonable "Dark and Stormy" (my favorite cocktail, just if anyone wants to know); and the truffle-parmesan fries helped ease the disappointment over my original choice of beverage.
My friends - vacation time is officially starting soon. My flight to Germany leaves at 7 AM, with a horrendous layover in Newark, NJ. Not quite sure yet how I am going to handle all the luggage and six million gifts, but we'll just have to give it a go. I'll get to my brother's house somehow.
Wishing all of you a happy holiday season - stay warm, dry, healthy.
pet:)
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