lumière des étoiles

Where I live
2003-11-02 9:58 p.m.

This weather makes me want to be other places - perhaps places that feel like this weekend’s temps all year long. However, I must be careful not to fall into a grass is greener reference point, because people caught in that rut are often miserable. I am not now and swore to never again feel miserable, so Steve and I did a "why we like where we live" impromptu weekend that included blowing a lot of stuff off and just having fun.

We went to a fun party on Friday - I got to see my friend Michael who I never get to talk to enough, and he decided that we should take an autumn trip, rent a cabin in the woods while the leaves still abound in beautiful colors, and have some spooky ghost story fun.

1.We are in close proximity to lots of woods where spooky cabins are ubiquitous. We are also in close proximity to New England and Old New York, teaming with lots of spooky history. We've been to Salem, Mass. a dozen times, but who knows what kind of spooky colonial stuff is just lying in wait elsewhere in this part of the world? Is there spooky colonial stuff in Japan? I don't think so, mister!

Now if we could only help our friend Bruno get over his fear of the woods...

Also at the party was our friend Irene, who told us about a new exhibit at the Met that sounds right up our alley.

2. Being in such close proximity to New York City and all its amenities is glorious. How else could I slip into the Met, see what I want, and come back all in the same day? How would I have seen Sting's show without paying for airfare and hotel as well? How would I have been able to see all my favorite punk bands when I was 17? How would I be able to get Mongolian BBQ at 4 am on a Tuesday if I want it? I WOULDN'T! YAY NYC!

If we hadn't decided to go to that particular party, our friend Jason invited us to his big orange house at the NJ shore for the mother of all Halloween parties. We were considering going to it, and then spending a nice weekend at the beach - visiting my aunt and then relaxing in some inexpensive little bungalow or something. We didn't, but if we wanted to (3.) WE COULD HAVE. We're only an hour or so from some really beautiful coastal areas.

After seeing Kill Bill last night (eh) and going to the Loop with an oddly matched, but fun, group of people, we woke up late. I, being the arse that I am, had wild-mushroom ravioli in a delectable cream sauce last night for dinner when we were out with a friend, and woke up with some serious lactose-intolerant type pains. When will I ever learn? My beautiful and sweet husband - the reason to end all reasons of why this area is wonderful, he lives in it (with meeee!)- took very good care of me, scolded me only a little (we know I'm not supposed to have much dairy), and then let me fall asleep on him while we watched a morning movie. When I was feeling better, we decided to get our bikes and drive up to Nyack and Piermont, two beautiful and old cities that lie along the Hudson River, right under the Tapanzee bridge. 4. Within an hour, we can have a really breathtaking view of the Hudson, at a part of the river that is clean, sweet-smelling and beautiful (this really exists! 'tis true). After we rode our bikes down the long pier in Piermont, we sat at the edge of the water, watched people walk their dogs, and reveled in our luck - we have access to quite a lot of things in this area, and though sometimes it bites, it really is swell. We had a a number of really cool and inexpensive restaurants to choose from, spanning Mexican to Southern to ritzy gourmet-French and Thai cuisine, but we wound up in a pub along a main drag, falling in with some Irish-Americans yelling at a wide-screened TV football game.

I was a happy little clam when my Casa burger came. I hope I can stay this happy all week.

'night,