Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Goodnight sweetheart, well it's time to go...

Today is it. Today is the last day at my old job. Ok, I still need to come in on Thursday for a meeting and a luncheon but today is definitely the last day.

I didn’t want to come in today. I had hoped that miraculously my office was packed up and delivered to me. Unfortunately, I like my lamp and fridge too much to leave them behind. Notice I say nothing about the paperwork.

I just finished packing everything except my external drive, my lamp and my plant. A sense of relief has hit me. I’m still not looking forward to my new job but I guess it will take time.

I spent the day before New Year’s saying goodbye to one of my favorite haunts in NYC. Miss Elle’s is a local dive bar/home cooking restaurant. After years upon years on the UWS, it closed on January 2nd. Rent increases are driving out our mom and pop shops left and right. A slice of the neighborhood is slowing being eaten away with each closure. I had my last chicken parm and said adieu to the little enclave Lrudlrick and I loved to hide out in on cold Saturday nights.

New Year’s brunch was a series of good eats. Crisp glasses of mimosas, fresh blueberry muffins, chorizo potatoes, quiche Lorraine, crepes, croissants and what my husband has now deemed The Matilda Cake. At first we were going to have chocolate fondue but we had just finished watching Matilda and Lrudlrick asked for chocolate cake. What came out was a chocolate raspberry devils food cake with raspberry liquor ganache so rich that an entire quart of milk was needed.

This feasting now has a little reprieve before Chinese New Years which hits in two weeks. Then the gorging begins again.

If you were wondering Lrudlrick had a very nice Christmas. In true Shredded Mini Wheat style, he got both grown up and kid gifts. The grown up in him got a nice workout bench and free weights. Since I didn’t want this monstrosity hanging out in our bedroom, he has converted his closet into this den of workout gear. I’m actually impressed at his feat. I’ll post pictures when I get home. Check back later.

The little kid in him (the frosted side) got, you guessed it, an Xbox 360. Boys will be boys. After tons of searching, chatting, calling and hoofing, he got one. He was so bloody excited about getting his hands on it, he ran to Best Buy with every gift card he received for Christmas and purchased games. Oh, he didn’t forget me. He felt bad he put me through all the craziness and obsessiveness he bought me both seasons of Arrested Development. Thank you, dear.

I’m not helping the situation either. I know this and freely admit it. I’ve introduced him to Zuma. If you haven’t played Zuma, you don’t understand the addictive quality it possesses. Microsoft has this game and more available for download onto the 360. Between that and Joust, he is immersed. I’m sure I’ll have plenty of use for the 360 myself when my favorite games, Burnout and SSX Tricky, become available.

Now that I’ll have a small reprieve from work, I hope to catch up with my fellow bloggers. I’ve been lax in reading. I never realized how limited in time I am during the holidays. I hope everyone had a wonderful, safe and happy holiday week. Tomorrow, I’ll begin revisiting everyone. Tonight, I’m off to make some ‘hot ham water.”