Oh, nothing special. How're you?
I don't really have anything in particular on my mind, but my flist was completely dead, which kind of provoked me, so I decided to put *something* out there...
I am getting immense pleasure out of my new laptop, which is so fancy that I've decided to name him Jarvis. The keyboard is near silent, it lights up at the press of a button, and I'm very excited about all the new thinking HP has put into this one. I've been a a loyal HP consumer since my first laptop, Otto, and it's really gratifying to feel welcome, if that makes sense. - Or perhaps HP is not catering to my needs, but rather shaping me as a customer to want what they provide.... Either way, I'm digging the symbiosis. :)
I had a nice, quiet day all to myself yesterday, as Sven went down to the hunting cabin and took Molly with him. Not to hunt, but to fix a bunch of things, and to introduce two new guys to their little hunting consortium. I am so glad he made the effort to get back into his hobby. He is much happier for it, much more laid back. He has other things to think about beside his business, and it makes all the difference in him. In turn, I get days to myself, which I in no way mind, and it's actually really nice to get to miss each other a little. :)
I went out to dinner with G on Friday. We went to try a new Italian restaurant which has taken over the locales of Ristorante Via Appia, practically an institution in the local area. It... was not up to par. I barely remember Via Appia, but I do know that you can't just soak everything in garlic and olive oil to give it that Italian flair and be done with it. The concept was that you order a main course, which was just the meat, and then chose from a selection of sides, which came in the tiniest portions imaginable. I'd ordered the sea bass, which came in whole, head and all, so before I was done filet'ing my fish (which, incidentally, is not easy to do by candle light) G had managed to finish off most of my sides. Not out of malice, but because her piece of cod was seriously tiny. Didn't matter, because the sides were cold anyway, and while I enjoy a roasted pepper, I do prefer not to get frost bite upon contact. The starter was alright. We'd ordered a plate of antipasti to share, and that was at least plentiful. I do think the salmon was a bit off. My stomach was slightly miffed, and it could only be that. The acoustics in the room was awful too, so despite sitting right across from each other at a small table, we had to practically shout to hear each other. On the other hand, the discourse from the adjoining table was easily ignored when everything was mostly a dull roar. The service was well-meaning, but overall, stretched too thin. Our server didn't speak Danish, only bad English, and not because she was Italian, but rather Eastern European, which was also a little jarring. She was dressed in patterned tights, a denim shirt, and Uggs. I seriously hope she was a temp. The ordering system was all done over iPads and Smartphones, which sounds clever in theory, but I actually prefer having eye contact with my server, so I'm sure they've received my message. On the whole, G and I had a good time together. We had plenty of time to catch up with all the waiting we did, but we won't be returning to ex-Appia (which, if you ask me, would have been a much more apt name, and probably what people will call it anyway.)
So... yeah. When my flist is being boring, apparently you get the tale of my wildly exciting and dramatic weekend, complete with restaurant review and product placement. You're welcome. :)
I am getting immense pleasure out of my new laptop, which is so fancy that I've decided to name him Jarvis. The keyboard is near silent, it lights up at the press of a button, and I'm very excited about all the new thinking HP has put into this one. I've been a a loyal HP consumer since my first laptop, Otto, and it's really gratifying to feel welcome, if that makes sense. - Or perhaps HP is not catering to my needs, but rather shaping me as a customer to want what they provide.... Either way, I'm digging the symbiosis. :)
I had a nice, quiet day all to myself yesterday, as Sven went down to the hunting cabin and took Molly with him. Not to hunt, but to fix a bunch of things, and to introduce two new guys to their little hunting consortium. I am so glad he made the effort to get back into his hobby. He is much happier for it, much more laid back. He has other things to think about beside his business, and it makes all the difference in him. In turn, I get days to myself, which I in no way mind, and it's actually really nice to get to miss each other a little. :)
I went out to dinner with G on Friday. We went to try a new Italian restaurant which has taken over the locales of Ristorante Via Appia, practically an institution in the local area. It... was not up to par. I barely remember Via Appia, but I do know that you can't just soak everything in garlic and olive oil to give it that Italian flair and be done with it. The concept was that you order a main course, which was just the meat, and then chose from a selection of sides, which came in the tiniest portions imaginable. I'd ordered the sea bass, which came in whole, head and all, so before I was done filet'ing my fish (which, incidentally, is not easy to do by candle light) G had managed to finish off most of my sides. Not out of malice, but because her piece of cod was seriously tiny. Didn't matter, because the sides were cold anyway, and while I enjoy a roasted pepper, I do prefer not to get frost bite upon contact. The starter was alright. We'd ordered a plate of antipasti to share, and that was at least plentiful. I do think the salmon was a bit off. My stomach was slightly miffed, and it could only be that. The acoustics in the room was awful too, so despite sitting right across from each other at a small table, we had to practically shout to hear each other. On the other hand, the discourse from the adjoining table was easily ignored when everything was mostly a dull roar. The service was well-meaning, but overall, stretched too thin. Our server didn't speak Danish, only bad English, and not because she was Italian, but rather Eastern European, which was also a little jarring. She was dressed in patterned tights, a denim shirt, and Uggs. I seriously hope she was a temp. The ordering system was all done over iPads and Smartphones, which sounds clever in theory, but I actually prefer having eye contact with my server, so I'm sure they've received my message. On the whole, G and I had a good time together. We had plenty of time to catch up with all the waiting we did, but we won't be returning to ex-Appia (which, if you ask me, would have been a much more apt name, and probably what people will call it anyway.)
So... yeah. When my flist is being boring, apparently you get the tale of my wildly exciting and dramatic weekend, complete with restaurant review and product placement. You're welcome. :)