Sometimes a hamburger is soooo satisfying

So had a good weekend, despite circumstances.

Friday there was an interesting modern dance show at Central Park's Summerstage (thanks to Chris I'm into modern dance). There was also a bunch of interns going out to dinner and drinks. There were also Shakespeare plays in Riverside park. And what did we do? None of these. But I don't begrudge that because.... we went out for sushi - yum!! So tasty! Love salmon, yellowtail, and super white tuna. It's just so... buttery. Nothing else can fill that craving for rich sushi taste. Yum. Nuf said. So after that Naveen's good friends called us - they were in town from Illinois. We hurried to meet them. They are an awesome awesome couple from Brazil that are just now graduating from UIUC and moving to Seattle to start real jobs. See Mom - it's possible to graduate! So we had fun wandering around the city - after meeting at Rockefeller Center - and finally stopping for a couple of beers. Awesome people. I'm excited for them.

Saturday was lazy - slept in. I left for a storytelling session in Central Park at 1pm. Ok, I know, I know - I'm above 10. But seriously - it's my secret hobby (among others). My Mom knows that I love fairytales and when I go to different countries I like to get books on their culture's tales. It's just fun. So the title of this storytelling was "Mosquito Stories from Opposing Ends of the Earth (Africa and Scandinavia)." So it wasn't just a story, but from other countries - and hey, it said all ages. Of course I was the only non-parent above 10. I got there before others and the storyteller asked why I was there (politely) - if I studied storytelling. He said there are awesome workshops and teachers of storytelling in New York that I should check out. Very funny. Can I jump to that life briefly? To be a professional storyteller - how bizarre. But anyway - heard some great stories A couple of little ones from Mexico. An awesome one from Tibet about a magical castle seen in the lake and a male cinderella. One silly one from eskimo country about a boy who ate too much. One from W. Africa about why mosquitoes bite us. And one from the Ukraine that had a neat song and a magical boy (Telesic) who turned into a boy from a stick. And he had a magical boat, and there was a dragon lady who wanted to eat him. Good stuff. I was transfixed by the guy - he was pretty good. And it struck me how except for a few details (like a yak), it didn't matter where the story actually came from - they were just all good human stories. Fun stuff. So I left feeling happy, and ran into a farmer's market and decided to get lunch! Made fresh insalata caprese - using fresh mozarella and tomatoes. Got some really creamy and tasty sheep + cow cheese and some sourdough rye bread and some blueberries on the side :-). It was a great lunch if I do say so! Fun that that's possible here - just walking home and picking up fresh lunch. So we worked the rest of the day at Starbucks. Then went out in search of the Tunisian place I'd heard of that was 25 blocks away. We looked for it and we couldn't find it! I was so bummed. And we were hungry after all that walking. So we ended up at City Grill. Despite me swearing off American food, we really enjoyed our meal! Had a very tasty cheeseburger and fries and a shrimp, tomoato and eggplant quesadilla. Naveen and I share everything of course. Naveen got a red ale to drink and I a sangria + margarita mix - very tasty! They love sangrias in this city! But for dessert we picked a mixed drink, actually. I did rather :-). But it was so good! Godiva, Kahlua, and Baileys with vanilla ice cream - almost a mild chocolate/coffee milk shake. So tasty! We were happy :-).

Sunday was a good day. We got up and ran. It was only in the 70s, but I thought I'd die with the humidity! We went to the reservoir in Central Park which is a nice track. But we were drenched after just 1 loop! But we made it both loops. Came home and made the BEST omelet. I feel like I really like food :-) - I talk about it a lot. But it had onions, red and green peppers, cheese, broccoli, and mushrooms - most from our farmer's market out front. Very satisfying. Then we worked all afternoon again - oh - after a nice nap :-). We tried to go to the last showing of Shakespeare's "As You Like It" in Riverside Park, but failed. Though it wasn't raining anymore, they cancelled it because the performance area was wet. Bummer :-(. But Macbeth starts next week. But on the way home we got a pizza at our favorite place - sausage, eggplant, and mushrooms. Did I say I've been obsessed with eggplant lately? And pomegranate (mostly juice) :-). And we worked the rest of the night - but felt like a good weekend!

My carpool friend Shan Shan is at a conference this week, sadly, so I'm taking the subway+train+shuttle. Miss her. And I'm optimistic about my paper - keep on chugging! I hope I hope. And I wish my lower right back wasn't spasming with pain every time I move, but such is life right now. Happy week to you all!