Single Minded

16 Aug

I won’t lie: I’d like to be in a relationship right now. But the reality is that I’m not, and I’m fine with it. Actually, it’s quite nice.

Case in point: last weekend I had an unfortunate cooking incident involving pancakes (don’t ask), so this morning when I woke up, I decided I didn’t want to mess around with imperfection. I got in my car and drove to a place where I knew I could have good griddle cakes: IHOP. In Harvard Square, of all places. I took a magazine with me, and I sat there at my table, alone, eating my breakfast. And I was happy. (It wasn’t the first time I’ve dined by myself, either.) Spur of the moment idea, instant activity. No one to convince, no one to stop me. And sure enough, the pancakes were tasty and I was content. With no other place to be, I walked off my meal by wandering around the Square, popping into one store or another, stopping to browse a magazine or two at the Out-of-Town newsstand. I even hung out at a farmer’s market. And when I was ready, I left.

Yesterday, I had a similar kind of day. I needed an activity, so because the weather was so nice, I decided to go on a drive — all the way to the Stoughton Triangle, my name for the intersection where you’ll find IKEA, Costco, and Jordan’s Furniture all next-door to each other. Yes, the last time I went to IKEA, I was let down, but so what? Even if all I did was have lunch, it would still have been something to do. So I got in my car, rolled down the windows, turned up the radio and went. Thankfully, I found what I needed (and then some), and I had a tasty lunch as well. Then I had a tasty “snack” at Costco, and after buying a thing or two, I meandered my way back to the city. Mission accomplished.

When you’re single and unattached, with no obligations, you can do such things. You keep your own schedule, going where you want to go, doing what you want to do, and doing it when you want to do it. And sure, maybe I’m a little too used to it at this point — it’s probably not such a good thing to be so comfortable hanging out solo at age 35 — but do you see me complaining?

It’s a Sign

16 Aug

While driving through Watertown earlier today, I saw this sign. Anyone know which two ways you can drive on Pleasant Street? Is it really up and down?

The Joy of Cooking

5 Aug

A word of warning: Do not go to see Julie & Julia on an empty stomach. By the time the movie’s over, you’ll feel downright famished. (That’s meant as a compliment, just in case it isn’t clear.) And that’s not just because there’s a lot of food in this movie, and it’s not just because the food looks really good. It’s because the movie is such a treat that you’ll just want to eat it up.

Julie & Julia is based on the book of the same name by the real-life Julie Powell (played here by Amy Adams), who decided to kick-start her life in 2002 by spending a year cooking every recipe in Julia Child’s cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and blogging about it (before blog was a household word). The movie doesn’t just make Julia Child an inspiration, it also makes her a character, by weaving in the story of Child’s own life in Paris during the 1950s (this part is based on My Life in France, Child’s autobiography). The movie shows how these two women found more than a hobby in food, and how their passion for cooking transformed their lives.

As Child, Meryl Streep is nothing short of a total pleasure to watch. She plays this woman with so much joie de vivre that it’s no wonder Child had so many fans. Nailing the chef’s sing-songy accent and walking around with a perpetual smile on her face, Streep is goofy, great fun, and just delightful. You almost wish the entire movie was about her (and it probably could have been). Thankfully, Adams and the other members of the cast (including Streep’s Devil Wears Prada co-star Stanley Tucci) are all enjoyable as well, and the jumping back and forth between the two stories is handled smoothly.

If anything, the meal is a bit over-cooked; writer/director Nora Ephron could probably have trimmed about 10 minutes and it would have been fine. But like Child herself would probably say, it’s alright to make a mistake or two when the end result is so tasty. I’m giving Julie & Julia a B+ and wishing you a hearty bon appetit!

Sad Clowns

3 Aug

They’re two of those unfortunate truisms about show business: funny people always want to be taken seriously, and when the cameras are off and the crowds have gone home, those same people who make us laugh are often very unhappy people.

Trying to understand the off-stage life of stand-up comics has been a longtime fascination of movies and television, and with the exception of Seinfeld, I can’t think of too many other movies or TV shows that have been as funny when the comic wasn’t performing. (Punchline, anyone?)

The latest such portrait, Funny People, continues this idea. Continue reading →

Sing Us Some Songs, You’re the Piano Men

20 Jul

Pardon the cheese, but it was a pretty good crowd for a Saturday over at Gillette Stadium this weekend. We were all in the mood for some melodies, and Elton John and Billy Joel had us feeling all right.

Captain Fantastic and the Piano Man were there to play another of their joint shows, and despite any mockery I may have encountered for going, it was definitely worth it. Continue reading →

Oh, the Places I’ll Go

19 Jul

There was an article recently in GQ about how we’ve all lost our ability to get lost, thanks to GPS and other tools that show us where we want to go.

Well, ironically enough, in the month or so that I’ve had an iPhone, I think I’ve gotten more lost than I ever have, because rather than just rely on directions I’d printed out, now I check and re-check the Google Maps app, re-calculating my route when I think I’ve made a wrong turn, over and over — which, of course, only makes it worse. Continue reading →

In or Aus?

13 Jul

Sacha Baron Cohen’s Borat was so over-the-top good that his next film was bound to pale by comparison.

Which is not to say that Bruno isn’t funny or worth seeing; on both counts it is.

But there’s something about it that feels very “been there, done that,” and most of the movie is maybe even a little too over the top to be believable in the same way that Borat was.

And that’s why I was a bit disappointed. Continue reading →

It Never Lets Me Down

8 Jul

I say it every time I go there, but it’s true: Chicago is my kind of town.

And my trip over the past few days was definitely one of the best yet.

Sure, I do some of the same things whenever I’m in the Windy City (hello, Bean), but I haven’t had the same agenda twice.

There’s always something new and different to do. Continue reading →

The Coolest Month of the Year

6 Jul

If you didn’t already know, July is National Ice Cream Month. According to the International Dairy Foods Association and the International Ice Cream Association, we can thank Ronald Reagan for the distinction. (Seriously.) And, if you’re marking your calendar, July 19 (the third Sunday of July) is National Ice Cream Day. So go out and get yourself a cone of your favorite flavor. And before you do, check out this classic NSFW Eddie Murphy skit.

Ain’t Nothing Like the Fourth

4 Jul

I don’t know where you are right now when you’re reading this, but in Boston, it’s hard to believe it’s July 4 already.

Maybe you’ve heard how awful the weather has been. Rain, chilly temperatures, very little sun. It’s enough to make a person flee the city.

Judging by the weather, we should probably only be in April, or early May. Definitely not halfway through the summer.

But let’s forget all that for a day, shall we?

After all, good weather or not, it’s July 4th.

The Fourth of July.

Independence Day. One of my favorite days of the year (after my birthday and Christmas, probably number three). Continue reading →

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