17 February 2006

* Took me about 15 minutes--and the help of a neighbor--to get my car out of my driveway this morning. It is still totally caked in ice--even 4 days after the storm. I can't even make headway on my front steps or sidewalk, the ice is so thick.
Even our backyard is covered in snow with a thick layer of ice on it--the girl and I skidded around on it last night when we came home from dinner. Fortunately melting is on the way--the temps are due to hit the 40s in the coming days.



* Got our cruise documents the other day--with information on our on-shore "excursions." It's totally helping me deal with all this WINTER STUFF.
I'm extremely excited to explore the the Caribbean and our exotic ports-of-call (Puerto Rico, St. Thomas/St. John's, the Bahamas) but I'm really happy to visit one of my favorite places ever: Key West. (That's our first stop from Fort Lauderdale before we head into the Caribbean.) We only have about 6 hours there, but I already have my "mental list" of places I want to hit. Tops on the list: Blue Heaven for breakfast (including Bloody Mary's)--it's literally hand-painted picnic tables surrounded by a canopy of palm and banyan trees on a dusty lot that used to be home to cockfights and boxing matches. Ernest Hemingway used to referee the Friday night fights, and is said to have thrown a punch or two. And the food is amazing.
Other stops: cafe con leche (Cuban coffee) at this neat deli across the street from the Green Parrot bar, books at Flaming Maggie's (Key West's amazing gay bookstore), shopping at Besame Mucho, Cuba, Cuba, and bargain-hunting at Fast Buck Freddie's. The girl wants to check out the Hemingway House and the famous six-toed cats. I'm absolutely in love with the architecture, history and tropical feel of this place. (I'm a bit obsessed with Hemingway.) OH, and speaking of the Hemingway House cats they actually have a live Cat Cam!

Hemingway House

Hopefully we'll have time for a drink or two at La Te Da--this cool outdoor piano bar on the "gay" end of Duval street. The girl and I spent an afternoon there during Key West Gay pride a few years ago and had a BALL. Too bad we'll have to miss the Sunday night drag queen show at the 801.

15 February 2007

Saw this picture on Syracuse.com. Snowmobiles--replacing the usual line of motorcycles--outside the Dinosaur BBQ in downtown Syracuse. There's about 3 feet of snow in the Salt City--with more on the way. Not as much as the folks up north in Oswego, though--they have about 7-8 feet. Makes me feel a little bit better about my struggle with the 2 inches of packed ice on my front walk.

The Dinosaur is one of the few establishments that actually started in Syracuse and then opened a second restaurant downstate in New York City. In addition to amazing BBQ (for a city north of the Mason-Dixon line), it's an awesome blues joint. (My brother's band has played there several times.) Even Bill Clinton stops by whenever he's in town with Hillary--and he KNOWS bbq. On a visit back in 2000 he said this: "I come from a place where barbeque is not food; it is a way of life. It is a philosophy of human nature. I have rarely had any as good as this." Pretty high praise, coming from him.

Here's the Dinosaur--in NON snowy times.

14 February 2007

Random thoughts: Valentine's Day Edition

* The girl and I are spending a quiet Valentine's Day at home. We usually boycott all the trappings of this Hallmark-inspired holiday anyway--but the bad weather just solidified our plans to celebrate quietly in our warm, cozy homestead. I did succumb to guilt/peer pressure and got her flowers that were delivered to her at her work. It helps that the florist I like to use is right across the street from her clinic--no delivery charges!



* Snow and ice are covering most of DC and the surrounding suburbs today. There's about 3-4" of slush everywhere--the roads are passable, but will ice up as soon as the sun goes down. The side streets are a mess, too. I'm SO glad we didn't lose power--I heard on the radio that there was a big ice storm in '99 that knocked out power in Montgomery County for a week. I bought two bundles of wood, just in case.



* We're totally hooked on this new TLC show, "Little People, Big World" about two dwarf parents and their family (The Roloff's). (I've learned "midget" is politically incorrect.) I'm not sure what the allure is--but it's a very charming show. I mean, once the curiosity factor is over, you realize their lives are normal--even mundane. But it's STILL interesting and fun to watch. (Special bonus: click on the link above for the show and you can play GAMES about the Roloff family!)

* We discovered a new, favorite pizza place. We still love our Manny & Olga's for takeout, of course...but we love Ledo's for dining in. It is an LEGENDARY in DC (it's always advertised during the Redskins games) and now we know why.