all that's past is prologue...

I'm hoping to break the restaurant curse by going to Al Vento next week. Where are you going for Restaurant Week?

The other night, we ate at Pei Wei, which I tend to like (for a chain). It was their 10-year anniversary, and everyone there had the same thing we did — a coupon for 2 entrees for $10. They were moving people through pretty fast, and then we did the restaurant equivalent of crashing their server. All of a sudden, things just stopped, and the people before us, us, and the 5 parties after us all had to wait over an hour for our food. Nothing was coming out of the kitchen; they stopped the line of people waiting to order; time just stopped. Then suddenly we all got served and things picked back up. I don't fault them for being overwhelmed, but along the lines of my previous post, it would have been a much more enjoyable experience if they had done something about it. Come around to talk to us and update us. Offered coupons or free apps. Given Beatrix (who was a trooper, but starting to freak out) a tour of the kitchen. Anything. So another opportunity missed. Pei Wei, if y...

Don't get me wrong; I love eating out. I bear a deep respect for the food industry, which is a hard, hard business. But really, folks, there are a lot of restaurants out there and the economy is The Suck right now — in general, you just have to try a little harder. Some case in point from my last few days: Sunday night (before Swell Season, which was awesome!), we went out to the Uptown Cafeteria . I had heard mixed things, but was very happy with our meal. Though our reservation put us at an interior booth (and I really wanted a window), our cocktails were lovely, our food rich but good, and our waiter excellent. Score one for the home team! Our server gave us each a stamped "Parasole Passport," explaining that if we ate at the Cafeteria, Il Gatto, and Chino Latino we would each get a stamp at each and then we would get a free cocktail. We were still a little snacky, so decided to get dessert at Il Gatto , where the host and hostess were very friendly and encoura...

For years now, my dream car has been the A4 wagon. I loved the functionality of my Impreza, and drove it into the ground. I have loved the power and handling of my mom's A6 that I inherited, but I'm just not a big fan of sedans (or "cars with butts" as I call them). My A6 is still in great shape, and I love that it reminds me of my mom and all the Florida drives we did in it, but it's just never seemed right . This last weekend I found the dream car — a dolphin gray A4 wagon, beautifully maintained, and very similar to my A6. I jumped on it — isn't it great? I'm naming it "Mary Lou"...

FREE kids show FREE ice cream (do I have your attention yet?) MILLY AND TILLIE opens at Open Eye Figure Theatre this Thursday 7/15, running Th-Sat nights at 7 through August 8. Half an hour long, designed especially for pre-school and under kids, and with free ice cream to follow — how can you go wrong? We'll be there on Thursday, and if I know Beatrix, we'll go back again at least one other time. See you there?

Uh, well you've already noticed I haven't been posting much... Most of my time lately has been spent in looking for balance. Work, family, volunteer commitments, the house, personal life, professional development, friends — it's tough to put everything together! The summer has really been spending time doing things with Beatrix. Some highlights: - The farmer's market. Rather than splurging on a CSA, we've been trying to hit the farmer's market every week. We get some vegetables and maybe some plants, and wander around people watching. Extra points if we do something like breakfast and the Neighborhood Cafe or Swede Hollow Cafe as well, but have to admit I am severely underwhelmed by Pizza Luce brunches (sorry, Erica!) - Playgrounds. Beatrix's big thing. She would be happy if we walked down to he playground at Webster School at the end of our block every day, but truth be told it's a little scungy — a lot of the equipment is too big for her, and ...