I have been walking around with my nose high up in the air. I feel as proud as a peacock, having made my first comic strip :)
It was a lot of fun - choosing the right facial expressions, background, character pictures, the right words et al. In the end, this is what I got -
Valentine's Day. Every year I tell myself that may be next year I will grow up a wee bit and won't make a big deal of the day. After all, it's just another day. What's the point in celebrating V day when pretty much every weekend is like one? We watch movies, eat out, go for long drives, bla bla bla, anytime we want. So what is so special about V day? But eventually, the next year, the day before the great day, I realize that I haven't mellowed even a bit. I still have the same (or more?) excitement I used to have when I was 16. Somehow, going to a movie and dinner on that day makes me feel like we are a couple madly in love. And I love writing about it. So that, 40 years from now, I will read it and remember the kid that I used to be many decades ago. But who knows, for I may then still be excited about V Day, waiting for the surprises just like the old times!
A had planned a surprise movie and dinner. He had made reservations for "He's just not that into you!", a rip roaring comedy with a touch of romance. Something I really needed to perk me up from my depression. Why was I depressed? Oh well, that's another story that's better left unsaid. We lunched at home and went to the movie at 2:45 pm. It was a slightly longish movie, about 140 mins, but time just flew by. It felt like I was sitting through back to back episodes of "Friends". Ben Affleck was really cute.
After movie we stopped by at Clyde Beach Park to catch the sunset. It was not a very big beach. So, we continued driving to Kirkland waterfront. We strolled through the arty town and grabbed a quick bite at Santorini Greek Grill - hummus with pita and falafel. Their falafels are the best in town! Check it out sometime. After walking around for a while, it was time for dinner. A had made reservations at Firenze Ristorante, where we were greeted with a nice long stemmed red rose. We had the penne gorgonzola, chocolate truffle ice cream and a cappucino.
Me: You know what, honey? I like the fettucini alfredo that you make a loooooooooot better than this. What you make is so authentic.....the garlic, the veggies, alfredo sauce, soooo creamy!
A (very proudly displaying the "you can never get it elsewhere" look): Ofcourse, only I can make it taste so good. The main ingredient is "love". And lots of it. You can't get that (pasta or love?) elsewhere, mi amor.
My Valentine was getting all touchy feely and I wished that I could freeze the moment...a little bit longer and make the sensations a little bit stronger....I wished that the time would stand still, forever.
PS :- Pictures in another post :)
I seem to have a weird craving for chinese food these days. So much that, A sometimes doubts if I was a Chinese in my previous birth. You must have read about my cravings in the previous posts. I have been on the lookout for a decent Chinese restaurant not too far off, serving super tasty vegetarian entrees.
It was 9:00 am on Saturday. I was looking forward to some really lovely Chinese dinner that night. I was browsing through Yelp when A's friend Peter called.
Peter : Hey A! Howdy?
A: Hey P, Howdy?
P: Can you guys come over for dinner tonight?
A: Tonight? hmmmm sure! (What?? what about my much awaited chinese dinner?)
P : Can you bring parathas? ( Oh c'mon! I am craving eggplant and tofu in a hot and spicy garlic sauce...)
A: Of Course !
So off we went with parathas and gulab jamuns to the Geoffreys' residence. The Geoffreys' remind me of a perfect Enid Blyton family. You know what I mean? Mommy, Daddy, three adorable kids squealing and giggling away, a dog that happened to fall madly in love with me (sniffing and licking me in places like...ahem! that only A has ever explored), a cat that I never noticed until I bade goodnight and a cute cozy cottage in the middle of a lush green lawn. What it lacked was a white picket fence. They appeared to be a perfect family, complete in all ways.
S, P's wife proudly said that she had made vege chili and brocolli sauted with garlic and ginger for dinner. Wait a minute...didn't you ask us to bring parathas? What do we eat them with? Nevertheless, we wowed at her choice of food and continued wowing at the tales of the stupendous tour de force of the kids at school, home and every where.
"C built this car...and he won an award !"
"D has a hole in her ear drum......but she can hear fine!"
"Di plays soccer, baseball, football......"
"S is in the church choir...."
"P has been working on the yearly newsletter....."
"Cu freezes everytime he sees an animal smaller than him...." (Yeah, you are right, Cu is the dog!)
Alright, time for dinner. I tossed the parathas on the tava, while S laid the table. We all sat down and I was still wondering what we would eat the parathas with. Just before begining to eat, each of them held hands of the person sitting next to them to say a small prayer. A was sitting next to P and jumped a little when Paul gestured for his hand. Hesitating a little, A asked "Should I hold your hand??". I made a mental note to pull him for this and guffawed on the way back home.
We slipped in the occasional "Ummmm this is so gooood!" or "The chili is excellent...how didja make it?" Not that am ever going to make it. I devoured the parathas with brocolli. The dinner was good....but soup and salad was not what I had in mind, you know? After dinner, time for some dolce. Chocolate ice cream with roasted almonds and marshmellows. Ummmm I ate a good three scoops, drowning all my sorrow in it.
We settled down at the table once again for poker. P taught us the differernt games and I teamed up with A. It was fun. A is still working on the poker face. Every time he got good cards he would beam at the rest, giving himself away, and the others, to play it safe, would end up folding their cards.
What seemed like a really long day finally came to an end. On the way back home A and I grumbled, "Funny people.....they eat parathas just like that!'
The weekend came and zipped by in a whim. A and I did quite a bit of research and window shopped for recess lightings, mini pendant lights, tiles, mosaics and shower faucets. Given that A and I like the exact opposites, it took us quite a while to find somehting that we both agreed upon. Ofcourse, A usually likes most of my choices, but vice versa is very seldom. So you can imagine A's choices! Or am I picky ? Am sure A would nod to that. Our conversation goes something like
A : hey, which of these three shower heads do you like ?
Me : hmmm....all except the round ones.
A (with big eyes and a sad smiley): really? not the round ones???
Me : oh, you like the round ones?? (actually meaning, C'mon....how can someone even like it?)
A : yeah...those are the multi function shower heads with variable spray patterns....
Me : Okay....if we don't find the same functions in a slightly flatter shower head, we will take round ones......
The research continues.....
******** *********
We were at Home Depot, shopping for recessed lightings, when
Me: hey, the white eye ball looks really stylish.....
A: yeah, that looks cool...
After looking around for a while, I still stick to the white eye ball, whereas A has spotted a plain white trim with back interior.
A: Doesn't this look good?
Me: yeah.....but the I like the eyeball better....
A: Why don't you forget the eye ball and look at something else?
Me: Why? I like the eyeball...it's more stylish...
A: Six eyeballs won't look nice....instead these plain white trims with black interiors are better as black absorbs light and hence the light won't be too bright when turned on......
Me: but the black interiors don't match with the other trims that we already have......
A: eyeballs don't match with them either....
Me: hmmmm........
A: Or, let's have two eyeballs and 4 plain white trims...huh?
Me : That won't look nice.....okay let's just get the plain white trims. We'll have dimmers instead of switches.....
So, it is always a clash of fashion Vs function :)
We treated ourselves to some great vegan chinese food at Vegan Garden Restaurant in the international district. We smacked our lips at the Golden Rolls and Eggplant Tofu Hotpot. I can't get enought of it and crave for it, nonetheless.
Then, came the Super Bowl on Sunday. With our house getting remodeled and no flat screen TV at our disposal, we went to Rock Bottom to watch the game admidst the other screaming fans. I was more interested in the brewery nachos and the spicy cheese dip with pita bread, than the game itself. I would look up at the screen everytime A went "Oh! what a touch down!" , and then wait for the Ads to come.
Thus, came to an end, an eventful weekend.
