'Twas the night

Went to my cousin's house in Westchester for Christmas dinner.  It was cozy, and wee little Skippy was all over me, so I got puppy cuddles, and fur on my clothes.  :)

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And then after all that coziness, today I headed out to Jersey City in a falling fog, a pervasive sea mist, dampness that goes through to the bone.

St Paul's Chapel near the PATH train to NJ at the WTC station.  A few hours later the fog had thickened so much we couldn't even see across the street.

Jason flew in from Houston and is staying with Chris in JC until the 31st, so I went to keep him company while we waited for Chris to arrive later.

I haven't seen him in exactly 4 years, so it was lovely to catch up and have a laugh face to face, I mean, we do talk regularly on the phone.  Also, as he is studying for his final flight simulator module in mid-January, we ran through the pre-flight and post takeoff checklists, with a huge poster of the cockpit draped on our laps.  Hehe, I was in the Captain's seat :)

The nothingness of sea fog

The Boardwalk in Jersey City.  It seems Manhattan and the entire Hudson River have disappeared!  You stand at the railing to look across the bay and see exactly...nothing!  It is a mist that hangs on your eyelashes.  You think you can blink it away, but it stays.

Also note the pile of frozen snow beside the lamp post, one of many dirty stubborn piles scattered across the city in random corners and in the middle of walkways.  Tomorrow, it will be rainy but even warmer than today (record 65F/19C) so surely there will be more melting.

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When Chris arrived we went into Chinatown to the Malaysian restaurant with the awful service and delicious food that we stumbled upon when we went to dinner with Vera and her father in September.  

We ordered and shared, I do love sharing.  

Starters:  Indian roti with curry sauce, and fried calamari.

Mains:  Pad Thai and drunken chicken.

Jason loved the Pad Thai, which was indeed outstanding.  Now let me tell you about the drunken chicken.  Half a chicken steamed in rice wine, a ton of minced garlic, ginger, turmeric root, and I'm pretty sure the red things were goji berries (!) - it was deeeelicious, yummy, scrumptious, and I want it again soon.

Then we walked into Little Italy, which is actually being subsumed by Chinatown, for hot chocolate/coffee and pastries at the same place as last time, Cafe Roma.

It's funny, I used to do that in London, go to my favorite dim sum restaurant in Chinatown, then walk to Leicester Square for hot chocolate goodness at the Haagen Dasz Cafe.  Everyone who visited me in London did that routine - just ask Chris, and probably Vanessa too!  

Oh shoot, I forgot to take pics of the food tonight.  It's OK, Jason and Chris had me in stitches all evening.  I was laughing so hard I wanted to tell them to stop and let me breathe.  I think I had a year's worth of laughter in one go, and I'm set for more, since Jason will be here till Wednesday morning.  Usually I'm the one missing from our group, though they were all together in Houston last week.  Vanessa, we miss you!

Thank God for real, true friends.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to you all. Best wishes for you, your loved ones, family and friends.

With love,

Olivia
xoxo

Joyeux Noël

Feliz Navidad

Buon Natale

Fröhliche Weihnachten

Gleðileg Jól

Καλα Χριστούγεννα
Kala Christouyenna

In the wee hours

Yesterday, 4.18 AM

Tumble, crash, thud, and I was out of bed in a flash with my heart racing!

Alone in the house, for a moment I had to remind myself that my roomie had told me the place wasn't haunted and I didn't need the nightlight.

I couldn't face it at that hour, so I left it till the next day, picked up the smashed baubles and rehung the good ones, by which time roomie was back home so she vacuumed up the pine needles.  While she was doing so the tree fell again - on top of her.  We adjusted the base as best we could and it's standing once more, albeit with more lopsided decorations.

Odd few days

Those of you on Facebook know I had a pizza incident but nothing more.


Brooklyn Pizza Pie - my undoing


Roomie and I ordered a veggie pizza on Friday night. I was expecting lots of melted cheese with a piece of broccoli on each and a sprinkling of spinach. But no, I opened the box and saw a jungle with undergrowth - every square millimeter was covered with green stuff an inch thick and the cheese was negligible. Shocking! The first few mouthfuls tasted fine, I felt righteous for eating broccoli (not usually my best green anyway because you never know what microbes are hiding between the florets), and there was fresh garlic on it, but I struggled to get halfway through the second slice. I may never eat broccoli again, and pizza will have to go a long way to win my affections back. Just the thought of that green stuff makes me queasy. So I had a rather unhappy tummy on Saturday and a little on Sunday too until I asked my roomie if she had any imodium - yes, ONE tablet left!

I thought the point of pizza was to eat melted cheese on a fairly thin crust, so next time that is what it will be. And if I have anything fancier it's going to be my old fave of Italian sausage and jalapeno pepper - the way I learned at CiCi's Pizza in Texas. Brooklynites are so fiercely proud of their "pizza pies" that you'd think it was invented here. Indeed, roomie had to give me a quick lesson in the local lingo before we ordered. The locals might call me a philistine if I order Papa John's in future (if there even is one in Bay Ridge) but I don't care.

I am fine now, but still haven't got my appetite back. Unfortunately today I felt precursor symptoms to - well, I hope I am not coming down with something. It is Arctic outside and when the air is cold and dry, viruses thrive. At first I thought I felt tired and buzzy because I was out in the cold this morning, or because I skipped breakfast, or because I carried heavy bags, but as the evening wears on I am growing suspicious...


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Meantime, Captain America is in town this week for work, so we had dinner and a movie last night. Obviously couldn't face the subway again this evening but even the offer of a taxi up there couldn't get me to budge out of the house.

I did a little bit of shopping this morning and had a rare New York Moment looking at people rushing around wrapped up, their breath like wreathes of smoke, commuters mixed with tourists, all the bright screens of Times Square battling valiantly against a sunny sky, frozen puddles at the curb, yellow taxicabs crawling everywhere and the street vents streaming steam into the frigid air.

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This weekend roomie and her friend put up the Christmas tree. I didn't join in because I was sleeping and feeling queasy, but also they're childhood friends and they know how to work this thing so I left them to it.

Nothing on the tree matches, but many ornaments are quirky, have a meaning, or are there for a reason. No doubt the Menorah under the coffee table will also go up for Chanukah :) She just likes Christmas trees too.






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When I was out today I found an ornament and it is now on the tree in honor of my return to the USA. The base is engraved UNITED WE STAND. It is silver plated and the flag is filled with champleve enamel.



I love it not only because it is patriotic but the eagle reminds me of my 7th grade entry in the North Texas French club competition (my first year here). I made a poster: in the background, all the notable flags of the world and in the center, a majestic Golden Eagle, shoulders draped in the Stars and Stripes under the title
SERVE YOUR COUNTRY: Learn a foreign language.

It won first place. You know it was the eagle draped in the flag that did it.

Merry Christmas y'all

Have a Merry Christmas everyone, whatever you choose to do. (We are packing boxes, but we will roast a duck and have pancakes in the morning.)

Not sure when next I will be able to blog.
Very stressful. Not least because someone stole the deposit and first month's rent on a flat we wanted, so feeling the strain...Wish us well in finding a new home before 7 January...one that we won't want to leave for a long long time.

Meantime, put on your best Cajun accent and enjoy the 12 Days of Crissmus in de Bayou.

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Day 1: Dear Boudreaux, Thanks for de bird in de Pear tree. I fix it las' night wit dirty rice. I doan tink de pear tree will grow in de swamp, so I swap it for a Satsuma.

Day 2: Dear Boudreaux, You letter say you sent two turtle doves, but all I got was two scrawny pigeons. Anyway, I mixed dem with andouille an made some gumbo out of dem.

Day 3: Dear Boudreaux, Why doan you sent some crawfish? I'm tired of eating dem darn birds. I gave two of dose prissy French chickens to Marie Trahan over at Grans Bayou an fed the tird one to my dog Phideaux. Marie needed some sparring partners for her fightin' rooster.

Day 4: Dear Boudreaux, Mon Dieux! I tol' you no more friggin birds. Deez four, what you call dem "calling birds" were so noisy you could hear dem all de way to Napoleonville. I used dere necks for my crab traps, an fed de rest of dem to de gators.

Day 5: Dear Boudreaux, You finally sen' somethin useful. I like dem golden rings, me. I hocked dem at da pawn shop in Thibodeaux and got enuf money to fix da shaft on my shrimp boat an buy a round for da boys at de Raisin' Cane Lounge. Merci Beaucoup!

Day 6: Dear Boudreaux, Cochon! Back to da birds, you coonass turkey! Poor egg suckin' Phideaux is scared to death at dem six gaeases. He tried to eat dems eggs and dey peck de heck out ah his snout. Dey good at eating cockroaches, dough. I may stuff one of dem wit oysta dressin on Christmas day.

Day 7: Dear Boudreaux, I'm gonna wring yo fool neck next time I see you. Thibeau, da mailman, is ready to kill ya. The merde from all dem birds is stinkin' up his mailboat. He afraid someone will slip on dat stuff and sue him good. I let those seven swans loose to swim on de bayou and some duck hunters from Mississippi blasted dem out of de water. Talk to you tomorrow.

Day 8: Dear Boudreaux, Poor ole Thibeau, he had to make tree trips on his mailboat to deliver dem 8 maids a milkin and dair cows. One of dem cows got spooked by da alligators and almost tipped over da boat. I doan like dem shiftless maids, me no. I tolt dem to get to work guttin fish and sweepin the shack but dey say it wasn't in dair contract. Dey probably tink dey too good ta skin da nutrias I caught las night.

Day 9: Dear Boudreaux, What you trying to do huh? Thibeau had to borrow the Lutcher ferry to carry dem jumpin twits you call Lords-a-Leaping across da bayou. As soon as dey gots here dey wanted a tea break with crumpets. I doan know what dat means but I says, "Well La Di Da. You get Chicory coffee or nuttin." Mon Dieu, Emile. What I'm gonna feed all dese bozos? Dey too snooty for fried nutria, and de cows done eat my turnip greens.

Day 10: Dear Boudreaux, You got to be outs you mind! If de mailman don't kill you, I will fo sho. Today he deliver 10 half nekkid floozies from Bourbon Street. Dey said dey be "Ladies Dancin" but dey doan act like ladies in front of dose Limey twits. Dey almos left after one of dem got bit by a water moccasin over by da out-house. I had to butcher 2 cows to feed toute le monde an had to get toilet paper; The Sears catalog wasn't good enuf fo dose hoity toity Lords' royal behin.

Day 11: Dear Boudreaux, where y'at? Cheerio an pip pip. You 11 pipers piping arrives today from da House of Blues, second lining as dey got off de boat. We fixed snuffed goose and beef jambalaya, finished da whiskey and we havin a fais-do-do. Da new mailman he drink a bottle of Jack Daniel an he's having a good time yeah, dancing with de floozies. Thibeau, he jump off de Sunshine Bridge yesterday, screaming yo name. If you get a mysterious, ticking package in de mail, doan open it.

Day 12: Dear Boudreaux, I sho am sorry to tell ya but I not yer true love anymo, no. After da fais-do-do, I spent de night with Jacque, de head piper. We decide to open a restaurant and gentleman's club on de bayou. The floozies, pardon me, Ladies dancin can make $20 for a table dance, and de Lords can be waiters an valet park de boats. Since de maids doan have no more cows ta milk, I trained dem ta set my crab traps, watch my trotlines, an run my shrimpin business. We probably gonna gross a million clams nex year.

Some Lights [EDITED]

Last weekend at Oxford Street, we saw the lights on South Molton Street, which is a small boutique shopping lane next to Bond Street Station.





And an upshot (which you know is my favourite type!) of one of the angels right next to the station, part of which is in the building you see:




Does that satisfy those of you who were agitating for London piccies???

;)

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[EDIT]

Still more? OK, this was the view from the window at 2 p.m. today:



The grey haze behind the church is actually the suburbs a few miles away. On a sunny day you can see the rooftops and a couple of fields.

There is a good case to be made for hibernation when it's like this every day...