Friday, March 27, 2009

And All That Jazz

Last night Dan and I dusted off our ‘going out’ clothes to attend the Blue Note 70th Anniversary Jazz Concert at the Lied Center.

I do not profess to be a jazz expert. Really, I don’t know the first thing about it. I just know what I like and what I don’t. And this, this I like.

The opening notes bubbled with the crispness of fine champagne, rising through the air and bursting over our heads and under our feet, reverberating through our limbs as if they were tuning forks. It was lyrical; it was melodious. It was inspired. The set began with Freddie Hubbard’s Hub-tones and closed on Cedar Walton’s Mosaic; however, a standing ovation won us an encore performance of Dexter Gordon’s Soy Califa. I found some new favorites in the Blue Note 7’s renditions of Idle Moments (Grant Green), Search for Peace (McCoy Tyner) and Criss Cross (Thelonious Monk).

In short, it was a romantic evening that I think we need to repeat at least once a month. We have been so busy lately that it’s easy to fall into the bad habit of overlooking one another. So, last night was about taking a time-out from responsibility and putting our commitments aside to remember the most important one of all - the one we made to each other.

(The Blue Note 7 consists of pianist Bill Charlap, guitarist Peter Bernstein, Ravi Coltrane - yes, son of John - on the tenor saxophone, Lewis Nash rocking the drums, Nicholas Payton on trumpet, Peter Washington strummin’ bass, and alto sax played by Steve Wilson.)

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

These Are the Days


Mondays have virtually no redeeming qualities.  They loom on a dark horizon, promising a week of early mornings, starchy clothes and turbo-charged fluorescent lights.  They are the Grim Reaper of the weekend.  But the first warm, brilliantly sunny Monday afternoon after a long winter - this is an entirely different sort of Monday.

I roared into our driveway after work (roared, I say, because I drove hubby's Titan for the day, so he could fix last Friday's left-front blow-out on my Neon), eager to enjoy the remaining hours of daylight.  So Dan and I pulled our bicycles out of the shed and pedaled down the Rock Island trail behind our house.  Red-bellied robins peppered the grass along the path.  Grass!  Can you believe it?!  The breeze tickled my face and the sun warmed my soul.  Then, after a quick dinner of Asian tuna over mushroom rice and a lovely Piesporter, we scurried off to a 7:05 showing of the much-touted indie flick "Slumdog Millionaire".  It was heartwarming and almost poetic.

And if one magical day wasn't enough to satiate our appetite for spring, yesterday turned out to be just as nice.  Dan fired up the mini camping grill and cooked some juicy burgers in the golden afternoon light.  With Rilo Kiley on stereo and a 6-pack of Red Hook ESB, we were basking in our good fortune like iguanas in the Caribbean sun.  We made a brief appearance downtown to give love to the Irish and then called it early - with full bellies, wide smiles and happy hearts.

Monday, March 9, 2009

So This Is Love...


I found it.  I found the thing that's going to make me whole again after a week of running around with my foot on the gas.  I have developed a Sunday afternoon ritual, and I call it: the bath.

Now, I'm a shower-type-person by nature.  But I think that's largely, and perhaps unfairly, due to the time factor.  About a month ago, I dug out the aromatherapy apothecary kit that I got for Christmas '07 and put it to good use.  Sea salt mixed with eucalyptus essential oil, peppermint leaves, a mandarin masque and blood orange sugar rub, milk soap, lemon-sage lotion and a mug of chamomile tea later, I was convinced that I would never be angry with anyone again.  I felt incapable of anger.

So this is my new love.  And it's a great, great love.  A true and perfect love.  I haven't missed a Sunday since then, and if you're not treating yourself to a sinfully long soak every once in a while, I say shame on you.  Heed your shampoo bottle and wash, rinse, repeat.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Hurtling Through Time

A few things that happened this week in our world...

Sunday: Our adorable nephew William came over to ride the dune buggy with Dan, while my mother-in-law and I went shopping for bedding and knickknacks for the guest room. I got THE BOMB duvet & sheet set from Bed, Bath & Beyond.

Monday: We cruised the streets, scoping out all the vacant houses in the 'hood. Drove by about 12 before it got too dark to see any more.

Tuesday: A quick appointment to view a house, and then one of Dan's brothers had a reception at Bennigan's for his new job with Waddell & Reed. I ended up with a lapful of Bud Light, but that's another story.

Wednesday: Dan raked leaves for a woman with a sprawling downtown Victorian and made $100, while I renewed my food handler's permit to do the catering-thing. Dinner with friends at Bread & Cup.

Thursday: We had two appointments to see the houses we found most intriguing from our drive-bys. We just might have something here, people...and the night ended with drinks at Barrymore's.

Friday: Straight after work, I raced down to the Fox Hole where a nice, younger crowd showed up to break it down.

We're headed back to Wilber in a couple of hours, but tomorrow I'm hoping to write a little more about our house-hunting experiences, future plans and, most importantly, my new love...