Wednesday, as seen from my office window

In the middle of a rain-soaked week, sometimes life can give you a little glimmer of hope.

Inspired

I was unsure about Barack Obama until last night's speech as the Democratic Convention. It moved me to tears.

bliss

Good friends Liz and Martin were married last weekend and the wedding was so gorgeous, words won't do it justice.







Got to catch up with some friends I hadn't seen in a while, like Annie, goddess of the blogosphere.

thank you for being a friend

Picture it- Plymouth, 1990, one of many Saturday nights I spent babysitting and making sure the kids got put to bed before the Golden Girls came on. I still find it amazing how a show about four old ladies captured the interest of a generation of 13-year old girls.

To mourn the passing of Estelle Getty, my friend Nicole and I honored her memory over some cheesecake. She was a great actress who inspired the most excellent Halloween costume ever. That's me on the left. And to all of you reading my little blog, thank you for being a friend!

I'm pretty hot stuff

I try to go as long as I can without turning on the air conditioning in our apartment when I get home from work... makes me feel like I'm really experiencing the steamy, sultry, city summer, kind of like Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire or that Matthew McConaughey movie set in the South where all the characters are in a constant state of perspiration. However, when the back of my knees and the crook of my elbows start to leak droplets of sweat, I cannot resist the cool whispers of the A/C. Another refreshing summer treat is a nice bowl of gazpacho.



Here's my favorite recipe, adapted from Spanish chef Jose Andres. Buen provecho!

Ingredients:
- About 2 pounds of ripe tomatoes (I like to use the really red cherry tomatoes that come on a vine)
- 1 cucumber, peeled
- 1/2 bell pepper, any color
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 3/4 cup Spanish extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt

Just chop the tomatoes (don't have to do this if they are cherry), cucumber and pepper and blend in a food processor or blender. Add the garlic, vinegar and 1/2 cup of water and mix until it becomes a lovely pink color. Add olive oil and salt and blend one more time. If you like your gazpacho very smooth, strain the mixture before pouring it into a pitcher or bowl. Let the soup cool in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving. As a garnish, I like to toast french bread, tear it up and add it to my bowl. Enjoy!

i jinxed myself...

As soon I published the post below, a clap of thunder brought me back from my reverie. In the past month, there has been a freak thunderstorm almost every other day. Walking home from work one evening, I witnessed black clouds rolling in overhead, covering the blue sky in a somber blanket in less than a minute. Suddenly, everything became eerily quiet, and then the wind came ripping through the city... I really thought I was about to witness the Apocalypse. Here's a photo of tonight's storm making its entrance, as seen through my apartment window.

My toes have found the sun again!

Happy feet...