Well. This weekend didn't go quite as planned.



Friday afternoon, I came down with some sort of flu bug, and it hasn't left me alone yet. Which means that instead of checking things off my list like a madwoman, I instead spent the weekend alternating between my couch, my comfy chair, and my bed.

It's okay, though. I got completely caught up on Parenthood and magazine reading, and I got lots of rest, which my body definitely needed. I'm going to try to go into work today, but if that doesn't work so well, I'll be back home for more of the same.

Happy Monday, friends!

True confession: I may have stayed up until nearly 2 o'clock in the morning last night, knitting this hat.



Oops.

At least today is Friday, and I will get to sleep lots tonight. If all goes according to plan, by Monday I will have checked something big off twenty-five in twenty-five. Other than that, I'm laying low this weekend. How about you?

Monday Adventure

On Monday, Dewey, Kristine and I went to the North End.

Any trip to the North End has to include a visit to Polcari's.

I could spend hours inside that store.

Their wall of coffee makes me happy.

So do their snacks. I bought some dried apricots. They were amazing.

Afterwards, we went to Cafe Vittoria and got affogato.

(That's what it's called when they pour espresso over gelato and Abbie dies of deliciousness.)

It was an excellent Monday off.

Happy Happy, Elizabeth

This is Liz. (Sometimes people call her Elizabeth.)
I met Liz in college, and today is her birthday.

I love Elizabeth for lots of reasons. Some of them are:

1. Liz knows her food. She is the perfect restaurant buddy, and if this fake vegetarian ever has questions about cooking meat, I always go to her for answers.
2. Liz is a people connector. When I emailed after not seeing her for years, asking about grad school, she emailed back that her lab was hiring and I should apply. I did, and I've been working there for six months. She is also the sort of person who organizes people for trivia night or random adventures. Like. . .
3. Liz does fun stuff. Yesterday, instead of a boring old birthday party, we went to a place where they taught us how to make beer. It's fermenting right now, and in two weeks, we'll go back to bottle Dizzy Lizzy's Apricot Blast. (Hopefully we'll have a better name for it by then.)
4. Liz knows how to enjoy the little things in life, and the big ones. Listening to her describe a trip to Napa or a Dogfish Head beer is like being there yourself, but with a special Elizabeth sparkle that makes it sound even better.
5. Liz always knows what's going on in Boston. Ira Glass is at Sanders Theater? Liz is the one who told me. Same goes for Dogfish Head night at Redbones and the best places to get veggies in Cambridge.
6. Liz and music are quite a sight to behold. Before I knew anything else about her, I knew of her huge affection for John Mayer. Tonight, she's going to see David Gray for her birthday, and if anyone can talk her way into a meet-and-greet, I'm betting she can.

Happy Happy, Elizabeth!
I'm so glad you were born.

Happy Friday, friends!

It feels like spring today, and it is glorious. Last night I went for a run in shorts!

It was pretty fantastic. Spring, hurry along, won't you?

Paper

Well, oops.

Instead of sitting down with craft paper and glue last night, I puttered about my kitchen, spending some quality time with parchment paper.

{Roasted cherry tomatoes are one of the world's most perfect foods. Eat them with sauteed spinach and polenta and it's like happiness in a bowl.}

{I just discovered that you can line a loaf pan with parchment paper. It's been positively life-changing.}

And of course, in light of Emily's birthday today, I made friends with some wrapping paper, too.

{Nothing like an inside joke for your bfffffff, no?}

Happy Tuesday, friends!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day, Friends!

I've been fretting needlessly over stupid things and haven't gotten a chance to make my valentines this year. Tonight I have big plans to go home, enjoy the spring-like weather, make some dinner, and sit down with some paper and glue.

Anybody who wants a belated valentine, send me your address! abigail.cyr@gmail.com

Dinner With Emma

Emma came over for dinner last night.

We ate baked ziti, and then, since I was in a celebratory mood, I made chocolate souffle. In mugs, because I don't have ramekins.



(I probably would have made chocolate souffle even if I was not in a celebratory mood. It's really quite delicious.)

Then she helped us change our lightbulbs. Emma's that kind of friend.

I am the opposite of a homebody.

Unless I have guests, I will happily spend as few waking hours in my house as is feasible. Which is why it was weird yesterday when I woke up and all I wanted to do was stay at home. So I did.

I ventured out for breakfast with my dad, but since I went less than two blocks from my house, I would say that doesn't really count.

I folded a lot of laundry. (I even broke out the iron!)

I couldn't stop thinking about oatmeal, so I had some for lunch. On the weekends I cook it in milk instead of water, and I put as much brown sugar on top as I want. It was perfect.

I finally put up the Abigail! letters that I bought in an antique shop right when I moved back to Boston. They lived above my windows in the last apartment, and I hadn't found the right spot for them in this one. Right by my bed is perfect.

I ended the night with Wives and Daughters, tea, and a chocolate snack.

It was the perfect homebody Sunday.

Happy Monday, friends!

p.s. I have done a terrible job getting caught up on birthday posts. Expect some more, especially one for a friend who has a birthday today!

Cait

This is Cait.
Cait and I met at Dartmouth, and several months ago, she had a birthday.

I love Cait for lots of reasons. Some of them are:

1. You can always depend on Cait to be there when you need her. If you're moving, Cait will be there, ready to haul boxes and mattresses until every last knicknack is in its proper place. If you've had boy trouble, Cait will be there with ice cream and gin, ready to curse his name 'till kingdom come.
2. Cait is a Dartmouth woman through and through. I cannot name a single person who loves our college more, and seeing it through her eyes always reminds me how lucky I was to spend four years there.
3. Cait is perhaps the only person in the world whose appreciation of that fine combination of classic cocktails and casseroles exceeds my own. Long email discussions of both of these items frequently result in me sitting at my computer, drooling at the thought of processed food products, at 10 o'clock on a workday.
4. Cait's writing is some of the most beautiful on the internet. If you don't read her blog already, you are in for a treat. Go, read, lose a couple of hours, and feel more insightful for it.
5. Even though I think it nearly killed her, Cait showed remarkable patience when waiting for her birthday post. Unlike some other people.
6. Cait loves her friends deeply and openly. Those of us who are lucky enough to be recipients of this love are better people for it.

Happy Happy, Cait!
I'm so glad you were born.