all that's past is prologue...

It's spring break, and tonight we had Beatrix's best friend Alma and her family over for dinner. Because otherwise the week apart might be too long for two girls who say "We're sisters, mama" and who erupt into crazy, hugging giggle fits when they see each other. I love that Alma (and Gwyneth) are Beatrix's best friends, and that spending time together is the most important thing in the world to to them. Like Beatrix, I have two best friends, who have held that status in my life since high school. That isn't to say that I am always the best friend to either of them; or that I spend the kind of time I would like to with either of them (because, sadly, I don't), or that they are my only "best friends." I am ridiculously lucky that I actually have several ridiculously close variation-of-best-friends, people who may not even have known me for as long, or are not nearby, but who really know me, are close to me, understand me, cheer for me, look

A few smaller things, none of which are are big enough for their own post (and many of which relate to New Year's resolutions): -  I finally went to the dentist  (New Year's resolution #2), thanks to Krista. Dr. Amble was fantastic and spent over an hour really evaluating my dental state. In a huge light-bulb moment, as he commented on some less-than-stellar dental work in my past (I believe his term was "butchery"), I realized that my fear of dentists may be well-founded, due to some of the work that had been done on me when I was a child. Plus he thinks I've been taking great care of my teeth since, and confirmed that my recent crown was fairly shoddy. Validating and affirming all at once. -  We finally watched "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" last night. A wonderful and complex film that is one of the best things I have seen in a long time. Now I really want to read the book, and hope it stands up to the movie; the acting really was exceptional,

You know those things you read about, injustices that get you all fired up but you think "Wow, I'm glad I've never seen that happen?" Here in Minnesota, we seem especially prone to this. Lately, these kinds of issues have come up a lot. This month in particular, as part of the ongoing coverage of the "real" cost of healthcare, there has been a big honking deal made this month about the cost of birth control. Ongoing press coverage touts the fact that Target and Walmart offer birth control pill prescriptions for $9 a month, "less than the price of two beers at a Georgetown bar" according to NPR . And I should know (Dad, this is where you might want to cease reading) . I've been on Sprintec (the only birth control pill on the several hundred generic formulary that Target offers), for about 2 years. My doctor chose that prescription specifically because it was a generic  — though she thought it was $4 a month; the Target website  is a little v

Not to be outdone by the shoes, the furniture demanded some teal treatment. Years ago, I would have been scandalized by painting wood (Nicole Curtis may indeed be shaking her head at me right now). But this is an old and battered piece, purchased at a Rose Gallery auction years ago. It's not an heirloom, but it does have some nice features, and I think the teal actually plays them up and gives it new life. I love how this buffet looks now, and smile at it everyday. (plus the paint was a free sample at Ace Hardware last weekend, so the whole upgrade cost me nothing!)

I was going to write an amazing post about what we had for dinner the night before last. But Patrick Rhone beat me to it: http://patrickrhone.com/2013/03/09/a-dinner-idea/ That said, we did pretty well last night as well (spaghetti omelet from Dinner, A Love Story ).

When I was a teenager, my mother and I travelled to Europe several times. My favorite city was Amsterdam, not for the stereotypical reasons, but for its accessibility to my arty-teen self. (Well, ok, maybe it was not so accessible the night David Wick and I walked several miles in search of the *perfect* wine bar, but I digress). My memories of the city — art museums, canals, cats, french fries with mayo, flea markets, ristaffel, hanging out in artist Giotta Tajiri's loft — are all wonderful. But the city is best characterized by my perfect teal loafers, which I acquired in a street market for about $2 and wore into a pulp for all of my teens. Here they are: Since then, I have been on the lookout for a pair of teal loafers; something to bring back my high school years and return me to that heady mix of exploration/confidence that was me at 16. And I just found them (and bought them immediately, though for more than $2): In celebration of my new loafers, I also painted my