Happy 11/11! I totally meant to wait until today to post my 11 for 11: 11 Things I'm Digging in the 11th Month of 2015. This is not at all because it wasn't ready on the first of the month. Nope. No procrastination here by any means. So! In no particular order! My second month-by-numbers post, 11 for 11!
Veterans' Day
Given that today coincides with Veterans' Day, and I seem to have seen more tributes this year than most, consider this mine: to Grampa, to Papa, and to the many other vets in my life who selflessly served so that the rest of us could post tributes on social media. And indulge in all of the other fun stuff below.
"On Account of Your Love"
My own relentless band-crush on these guys notwithstanding, Brett's latest effort is fall pop perfection. The multi-layered songs progress seamlessly from one to the next, and the only complaint I care to make is that it's not a full-length album, because I've been listening to it on repeat, and I still can't get enough. Click here and get hooked (and psst: it's also on Spotify).
Early Mornings
I woke up like this.
The sun set at 4 freaking 41 today. From now through January, we'll be logging fewer than 10 hours of daylight daily between dawn and dusk. And rather than succumb to the menacing ogre of Seasonal Affective Disorder that's lurking just outside the window (side note: Seriously? They actually named it SAD??), I'm taking the twilight bull by his murky horns and making sure that I'm awake for every one of those sun-soaked minutes, even on crummy cloudy mornings like today.
Tompkins Square Park
Hat tip to the boys of Mumford and Sons, who were kind enough to write their last album with me in mind (I think). I'm especially hooked on the first track, which references one of my favorite places in New York thanks to the weekly farmers' market, the dog run where I could (and do) spend hours watching the puppies play, and its proximity to my current favorite tapas spot (though, sorry, seating is limited, and I'm keeping that one to myself). Listening to "Tompkins Square Park" blur into "Believe" on the album is a perfect song-to-song transition, but if I had to separate them, it would be the wistfully honest first half for me every time.
Pomanders
Photo courtesy crafthubs.com
T'is the season! I'm as fed-up with the Starbucks cup controversy as anyone, but it doesn't dampen my festive spirits in the slightest, and pomanders are the ultimate sweet-smelling transition from Halloween pumpkins to Christmas snowflakes. I picked up a jumbo-sized container of whole cloves and a sack of oranges, and as soon as I get my hands on some decorative ribbon, I'm hanging these suckers all over The Treehouse. They smell great, and pressing cloves into orange peels is amazingly cathartic after punching away at the keyboard all day.
Thirteen Ways of Looking
I've Tweeted it before, and I'll say it again: having a new Colum McCann book to read, ready and waiting on the kitchen table, makes every night feel like Christmas Eve. I finally cracked the cover on this one this week, and true to form, I'm nearly through it, though I appreciated the short story format for slowing me down in a way that his novels can't. For my money, there isn't a writer practicing who uses verbs to better, more vivid effect; reading McCann is like living inside a world so breathtakingly clear that sometimes you have to stop, look around, and just sigh at the gorgeous sight of it.
Philadelphia
My abiding love for The City of Brotherly Love is no secret, but these days, I'm spending more time there than ever and feeling equally nostalgic and satisfied. (Don't panic; I still don't plan to leave Manhattan permanently in anything other than a body bag or an urn.) But laughing with colleagues over kung pao wings at Whetstone Tavern, putting together IKEA furniture and celebrating with late-night pizza and beers, slurping a quick bowl of French onion soup at Parc on my lunch break, saying "yes" to a second (and a third!) glass of wine at Tria Fitler Square, waking up to the goofy gallumphing of my best friend's adorably stupid dog...it has been really, really nice. XOXO, indeed, Philadelphia.
Polenta
Having made fast friends with my 2-burner cooktop, I've moved back into culinary experimentation mode, and none has been more successful than my noodling (see what I did there??) with polenta. If I had known it was this easy, I'd have been living on the creamy, cheesy stuff for years. The best batch so far was thanks to a homemade veggie stock that I prepped and froze last winter, but as soon as I get to the grocery store to re-up on mirepoix and Parmesan for grating, you better believe I'm sitting down to a steaming bowl of the good stuff, then saving half to griddle up in a hot pan the next day for lunch. I also batched and froze a caramelized onion and tomato fra diavolo sauce that goes quite nicely over a polenta cake or two, thankyouverymuch, so if you're interested in sampling the latest of my white-fluffy-carb-and-dairy-fat fiending, invite yourself over. You supply the wine; I'll whip up the creamy, corn-y goodness.
Jaunty Hats
You're welcome for Colin Farrell and Elmo.
My pixie cut is growing out, thanks in equal parts to my disinclination to pay for regular trims and the surprisingly healthy glow of my natural hair color, fully exposed for the first time in, conservatively, 10 years. Without a screaming blonde dye job to shadow-box my natural curls into a corner, I'm a few months from lady-like chestnut waves. Until then, however, it's each strand for itself as the curls grow in, leaving me looking not unlike a holiday holly plant (read: pointy). To that end, I am taking my hat collection out for a few spins 'round the block, so if you spot a stylish gal in a skullcap, do say hello -- just don't try and steal my hat. It's a jungle under there.
The Rivers (East and Hudson)
Until the Polar Vortex descends, it's likely that you'll find my be-hatted self biking the fringes of Manhattan island, particularly the gorgeous Hudson River Bike Path, a ribbon of green that hems the island and also happens to take me within coasting distance of some of my favorite places to stop for a mid-ride snack. Looking out over the water, waiting for winter to descend, there's a freshness to the air, and with it, a spring to my step. Er, pedal.
Indoor Sports
"If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball!"
Get your head out of the gutter (unless you're a strikingly handsome 30-something New Yorker who would like to show a lady a good time, in which case: call me); what I mean are alternatives to softball now that the weather is too cold for the city to issue field permits. In addition to Flywheel (see also: 10 for 10), I'm playing in an overnight indoor softball tournament this month, and I'm open to any and all other suggestions about how best to stay active now that it's dark before dinner. Thoughts?? Send 'em along!
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