is the word 'diary' better than the word 'blog'? probably not.
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Gus Gives Good Birthday.
Yesterday was my birthday, so I tried not to do any work. I ended up sending out a few resumes and freelance queries because once again I need money. Oh, academia, why? Why did I choose you? I talked to Heidi on the phone yesterday for a long time and we were laughing about how she sometimes thinks that academia is the answer to any job crisis, whereas from my perspective it is my choice of academia that is at the root of any job crisis I�ve ever had.
Birthday! Mostly Gus and I just had fun. We slept in. Then we played with our computers and email and stuff. Around 2pm or so I decided I wanted some Thai food for lunch, so I got out the Eats magazine dedicated to Park Slope and Prospect Heights and found a listing for a Thai restaurant a few blocks away. I wanted some Spicy Basil Tofu. And I got some. It was perfect. Just the right amount of food, tasting exactly how I wanted it to taste, in a well-priced lunch special accompanied by salad and appetizers, all good. Odum Thai, I WILL be back to pick you up later.
Then we went and did some stuff. And I got some presents. Then we went to see Harold and Kumar escape from Guantanamo Bay. Not so funny, that one. I liked and laughed hard at the first Harold and Kumar movie. This one produced no laughter, though there were amusing moments. Later last night, on our subway ride home after dinner, I asked Gus to name parts of the movie that were funny. We couldn�t really think of any at first. Except then we started talking about the way the movie played with overdone stereotypes, and we had to admit that that aspect of the movie was pretty good. It�s a funny absurd-to-the-point-of-accurate (can you imagine such a thing?) take on race relations in the U.S.
Otherwise, not so funny.
After the movie, we had a drink at Blue Water Grill and dinner at Union Square Caf�. These are both pricey fancy places. Both of them are peopled with types whom I would call not our peeps. Gus totally nailed the scene when he said it was American Psycho-y. Not that we were in danger of being killed, but that both places could have played roles in that novel, or the movie version. At Union Square Caf�, they seated us waaaay in the back of the restaurant at a cute corner table. It�s true that they may have been trying to hide us (that was Gus's joke, but we're cute enough, who wants to hide US? ha), but who cares, we got to snuggle up on a bench seat at one of those tables that the waitress pulls away from the wall and then pushes back once you get situated. Our waitress was really great. And our meal was PERFECT.
We started with an appetizer of ravioli stuffed with mixed greens, with garlic, lemon, and breadcrumbs. Man! that was good. Then I had scallops with green onion mashed potatoes and an amazing salad-like food-entity. It had all kinds of interesting vegetables in it, and some hardboiled egg pieces, and the perfect amount of flavor without too much dressing. Green onion mashed potatoes is a good idea, too. And the scallops were perfect. Gus had suckling pig. It had the skin on it. He really enjoyed that pig. We shared a nice bottle of wine. And then we had an amazing milk chocolate pot de cr�me with brown sugar meringue on top. It was a perfect meal. In fact, right now now-Jill is really jealous of yesterday-Jill because now-Jill could really go for more scallops, and chocolate goodness.
Today I woke up, went to work, and gave a final. The last final! Now I just need to GRADE all the finals. And then it�s summer.
By the way, I need some freelance work. Let me know if you know of anything.
12:03 a.m. - May 23, 2008
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