snow day (a.k.a. #bombcyclone)

I’ll be honest; when I first heard the term ‘bomb cyclone’ being thrown around this week, I just assumed it had something to do with the insanity of our government – the new normal. I didn’t realize until Wednesday afternoon, courtesy of my coworkers, that it was referring to the snowstorm I did know about. I had already been hoping for a snow day.

a storm is gonna come

During city summers, when it’s about to storm, the sky goes yellow and the wind picks up. It’s humid and breezy at the same time, and you can taste the moisture in the air, if it’s not already coming down from the sky.

cookbook-ing

“Do you have a library card?” I realize this may seem like an odd question in today’s day and age, but lately, it’s one I ask often.

‘in pursuit of magic’

Inside is like stepping outside. Except for the warmth, I wouldn’t be surprised to look up and see the evening sky. There are trees and plants, and they blend together as though we’re sitting in someone’s backyard, rather than in a restaurant with New York outside its doors. When we sit, I notice the small china plates we have – and that ours don’t always match the other tables. There’s a small vase on the table, shaped like a square bottle of perfume, filled with greens and tiny blue flowers. Even though spring hasn’t quite arrived yet, you think it might have, and someone forgot to tell you where to find it.

serendipity

Not the movie or the restaurant. Although, I do love the movie – and who doesn’t love John Cusack? (OK, I’m sure some people don’t, but from a romcom perspective I do find him charming…) And already, I’m on a tangent. Let’s go back to the beginning.

July Eats

Mr. Bing, Broadway Bites – A new (to me?) stall popped up this summer, which serves jianbing, a Beijing street food. It’s a bit like a crepe, filled with egg, scallions, sauces, crispy wontons, and a whole bunch of other things. This one was much bigger than the one I had in Beijing, and it was given to me in a takeout box rather than wrapped in paper for me to snack on as I walked, but it was pretty good.

comfort food

Yesterday was a long day. Not bad, not terribly stressful – just long. I was up at 7am, cleaning and getting ready for work, and I didn’t get back home until 10:15pm. The M wasn’t running last night and I ended up hopping three different trains to get back home. It was such a relief to finally see the light of the E train in the tunnel at my last transfer.

Cookie Monster wisdom

If you know me, you may know that I believe that the Cookie Monster is a wise, wise muppet. I was reminded of this recently when I saw him in an ad for Siri (shame on you, Apple, for co-opting such a smart monster to promote your products!) baking cookies. In case you haven’t seen the ad, here’s a link. It is admittedly very cute (damn you, TBWA/Media Art Labs, for tugging at my heartstrings).

productive procrastination

I’m not sure if productive procrastination is a real thing, or something I just made up. But it’s the most accurate way to describe the last week. 

Sanjay’s Super Team

I mentioned in another post how I very much wanted to see Pixar’s newest movie over the winter break – The Good Dinosaur. I’m a sucker for most things Pixar does, although I’ll admit, this wasn’t my favorite movie. However, I really, really love their shorts. For anyone who isn’t familiar with them, Pixar usually does a short movie (about 5 minutes or so) before each full length feature. There are no words, just music and animation.