I remember my brother and me playing with some kind of calendar that allowed us to see what day our birthdays would fall on in the year 2000. It seemed a million years away from that day in 1966, sitting on the floor of the TV room in front of the zenith, black and white shows playing, Jiffy Pop popcorn between us. Somehow I looked up and even the year 2000 seems long ago now. I imagined we would all travel in flying cars, not hold our entire worlds in tiny phones. So much for my imagination!
Michael and I started the new year with a bang. Our planned romantic train ride 35 hours from providence to New Orleans cancelled after an 8 hour wait in Penn Station without any explanation or new departure time from Amtrak. We taxied home, had a great dinner at Barbuto, then were up and out at 6:30 the next morning for a flight. Disappointment and frustration over our barged romantic adventure, and even more so over Amtrak and the terrible way they treated us for so long. But changing our plan was a good idea since the train did not leave until 1130 that night – – nine hours late – – got delayed again outside of Atlanta, and finally arrive in New Orleans at 5:30 in the morning, over 10 hours after our expected arrival. The plane got us here by 1030 in the morning giving us a whole Extra day in this beautiful city. However we had an exciting arrival when the taxi we were in from the airport to the Garden District was hit by a car that ran a red light. Luckily everybody was unharmed, but the cars were in pretty bad shape. What a way to start the new year! I think we have had our share of excitement for a while, and I’m happy to report that for five glorious days we have been enjoying New Orleans, eating and walking and drinking lots of Sazarac‘s. One of the most wonderful things about my most wonderful husband is that like me he loves a working vacation. So we have been working every morning, each of us on our computers, each of us writing our books. And then we break for a long leisurely lunches, followed by late afternoon reading and then dinner. Pretty heavenly!
Tomorrow it’s back home and I have a week to get my taxes in order – – UGH – – work on my novel, get ready for my fabulous week of teaching at Eckerd College like I do every January.
There’s so much to look forward to already this year, including two new books: in June a new YA novel, SHE LOVES YOU YEAH YEAH YEAH, from penguin that I’m so excited about I could jump up and down; and a memoir, KITCHEN YARNS, from Norton, told through food and recipes coming in the fall.
I have finished all my knitting projects and looking eagerly for a new one! Meanwhile, dish rags!
Signing off with the smell of leftover lamb and rice wafting up to me, and an afternoon ahead in the French quarter watching the joan of arc parade, followed by king cake at a party.
Happy 2018 everyone!
Michael and I started the new year with a bang. Our planned romantic train ride 35 hours from providence to New Orleans cancelled after an 8 hour wait in Penn Station without any explanation or new departure time from Amtrak. We taxied home, had a great dinner at Barbuto, then were up and out at 6:30 the next morning for a flight. Disappointment and frustration over our barged romantic adventure, and even more so over Amtrak and the terrible way they treated us for so long. But changing our plan was a good idea since the train did not leave until 1130 that night – – nine hours late – – got delayed again outside of Atlanta, and finally arrive in New Orleans at 5:30 in the morning, over 10 hours after our expected arrival. The plane got us here by 1030 in the morning giving us a whole Extra day in this beautiful city. However we had an exciting arrival when the taxi we were in from the airport to the Garden District was hit by a car that ran a red light. Luckily everybody was unharmed, but the cars were in pretty bad shape. What a way to start the new year! I think we have had our share of excitement for a while, and I’m happy to report that for five glorious days we have been enjoying New Orleans, eating and walking and drinking lots of Sazarac‘s. One of the most wonderful things about my most wonderful husband is that like me he loves a working vacation. So we have been working every morning, each of us on our computers, each of us writing our books. And then we break for a long leisurely lunches, followed by late afternoon reading and then dinner. Pretty heavenly!
Tomorrow it’s back home and I have a week to get my taxes in order – – UGH – – work on my novel, get ready for my fabulous week of teaching at Eckerd College like I do every January.
There’s so much to look forward to already this year, including two new books: in June a new YA novel, SHE LOVES YOU YEAH YEAH YEAH, from penguin that I’m so excited about I could jump up and down; and a memoir, KITCHEN YARNS, from Norton, told through food and recipes coming in the fall.
I have finished all my knitting projects and looking eagerly for a new one! Meanwhile, dish rags!
Signing off with the smell of leftover lamb and rice wafting up to me, and an afternoon ahead in the French quarter watching the joan of arc parade, followed by king cake at a party.
Happy 2018 everyone!
