for serious? no, for JOKE

Birthday

Such a good time last night ! We celebrated Hedwig's almost-30 (next week) birthday.   As Kirsten would say, good times! 

Here's the menu:

Hors D’Oeuvres

Caviar and Sour Cream on Toasts

Tuna Satés with Wasabi Mayo

Shrimp and Pea Shao Mai

Edamame

Salad

Fried Squid, Papaya and Frisée Salad with Spicy Sour Dressing

Main Course

Black Cod with Miso on Butter Lettuce Leaves, Nobu Style

Cold Sesame Noodles 66

Steamed Broccoli Rabe

Dessert

Sliced Mango with Sweetened Coconut Rice

Sustainable Certified Coffee

I think it all went very well.  My few critiques would be:

• My shrimp dumplings sort of fell apart, but they still tasted very good
• Frying squid in a hot hot NYC apartment, while initially not such a good sounding idea, was fine.  Just don't over-batter the squid or you just get a salty donut with squid in the middle!
• I made wayyy too much noodle salad.  Either these girls didn't eat or I just added some zeros when calculating ingredients!
• The Black Cod marinated in miso was scrumptuous.  I will DEFINITELY make that again. 

Family Weekend

So we spent the weekend in Kent Island in my parents' new house on the Chesapeake Bay.  EVERYONE made it, with the exception of Kate & Kir's sweet-as-pie dog, Maggie.  But all humans were in attendance.

It was the first weekend also, with dad's new boat.  Now, to any onlooker, it was obvious we were rookies in the sea-faring department.  In one weekend we managed to 1) bend the propellor completely out of shape, rendering it rather useless,  2) flood the boat and not really figure out WHY it was flooding and 3) beach the boat.     Good thing we had a friendly neighbor who helped us out. 

Dad, my friend Tom and I think you should name the boat "The Flying Dutchman".

Here we are on the boat...

And here is Ruthie looking like Lindsay Lohan in her cool sunglasses

I didn't manage to remember my camera by the time Anuj, Kir, Kate, Rachel, and Rob arrived, so I have no pictures of them to share.   

The weekend was perfect - it's a great thing to be able to enjoy relaxing and fun time with a wonderful family.   

Lunch. Dress.

I just had lunch with my sister Hedwig, and besides the mild frenzy I worked myself up in while describing my latest run-ins with HR, it was a good break from work. Hedwig took a peek around my office because apparently, in my almost two and a half years in this office, I “always make [her] wait on the street”. Dear Hedwig, this was not intentional. And since I have already been kicked out of my cubicle by office management, I got to pass off the junkyard in the office I am camping in as “not mine”. (Ha!)

I also showed Hedwig my wedding dress, which is hanging off the back of the door to my office. It feels strange to see it hanging there, fairly unremarkable in its opaque white-ish garment bag. And I obsessed over it for quite awhile! Figuring out a way to get an affordable price for what was unfortunately a very expensive dress. And then to buy it, and un-gloriously sling it over my shoulder and descend into the subway with it, the plastic wrapping sweating all over my arms and chest, well, let’s just say that felt anti-climactic. Still, I really look forward to the day I can wear it.

What also amused me was that Anuj, upon my recounting the Hedwig-visiting-the-office-and-the-dress story, freaked out a little. “Another person who has seen the dress?” I am not sure why he wants to see it so badly. Maybe because I have explicitly said that was the one thing he won’t know about until the wedding day? I think it’s a matter of forbidden fruit tempting the master. (That’s right, Anuj, I just called you the master). I think what really crunked Anuj was the fact that Art K. saw the dress. The nerve! A man! Seeing the dress! A man that is not Anuj!

Things to do really really soon

1. Renew my green card
2. Speak to tax advisor - I am sooo not looking forward to figuring out my taxes this year (federal in the states, who knows what in the Netherlands)
3. Book my flight to Amsterdam
4. Start packing
5. Spend quality time with future husband
6. Spend quality time with family
7. Spend quality time with all NYC people I will miss dearly
8. Catch up on work - I am always behind.
9. Finish up medical things before I leave (dentist, contact lenses...)
10. Hire a caterer for the wedding
11. Spend quality time with future in-laws
12. Plan sister's 30th birthday party...
13. Finalize arrangements for Amsterdam apartment
14. Catch up on the 18 voicemails on my cell phone
15. Write some outstanding thank you cards

Do you know that sort of overwhelming pressure of stress, and how it has a tendency to envelop you in its nebulous grip, making it impossible to see clearly through it?  Well, that's how I feel right now.  And it's making me grumpy, cranky, and anxious.  Not the way I want to feel in my last couple of weeks in NYC.

Of course, drinking vodka martinis with Marina at Ruby Foo's last night temporarily staved of the Stress and Anxiety Demon... thanks Marina!

Did you know?

That you can click on all the photos in this blog and enlarge them on your screen?  Hopefully they will help in giving everyone a glimpse into my life in Amsterdam, once it starts.  This will be easier than trying to email everyone pictures all the time.  And I never did like shutterfly.

Happy anniversary, mom and dad!

Well, I decided to start a blog, so I can keep up with all my friends while I move.  Sadly, Aug 4th (my departure date) is coming closer and closer... and I know I will miss my NYC life terribly.   And as for my future husband, our separation will be something terrible to endure, but with a light at the end of the tunnel... I can't wait to marry him. 

By the way, today is my parents' 33rd wedding anniversary.  I trust that my parent's great example will guide Anuj and I on the path of a long and happy marriage as well!

On the subject of marriage, check out this picture (taken at Anuj and my engagement party that his parents threw for us) of my family with my future in-laws.  My only regret is that my sister's partners are not all in the pictures.  We'll get them in at the wedding...