Happiest Dog in the World

7.4.09

Happy Fourth of July!

Cherries.

I am babysitting one of my friend's hamsters while she's on vacation. Nooch has appreciated the company (he likes to sniff at the cage next to his). And I think they both are entertained by the summer produce coming in to the house..

Our visitor:



Nooches:


Nothing says "I'm in heaven!" like ratty boggle-eyes.

Book and a Highball

I'll be the first to admit it - I'm a snob. This is most especially true when it comes to nonfiction literature. I'm not snobbish in the usual way - not in the English Major way - but rather, I have certain favorites, and because they are MY favorites they are the very best and I tend to not give other bits of nonfiction a chance. It is a bit limiting, I'll admit, but on the other hand it gives me the comfort and, indeed, the delight, of revisiting the same stories over and over and finding pleasure in the familiar phrases and new insights found in the re-read.

A couple of weeks ago I picked up J.D. Salinger's Nine Stories again. Last night I read "For Esme-with Love and Squalor" and I have to say that last sentence, "You take a really sleepy man, Esme, and he always stands a chance of again becoming a man with all his fac-with all this f-a-c-u-l-t-i-e-s intact." kills me every time.

Tonight it's "Pretty Mouth and Green My Eyes" which I'm sure is going to drive me nuts. Fortunately I've got the company of some good libations.

I have to say, though, (and this gets back to the snobbery) one of my favorite reasons for re-reading this book in particular is that I had the good sentiment to keep a post-it note on the title page. It was written by one of my most enduring friends while I was off at my first year of art school: "I send you good literature. A diversion - from your drawing of elegant lines."

As the month of June's trickling out, it's good to remember brilliant stories and equally brilliant friends.

Nature. And also, Nature

One of my favorite things about living where I do is the amount of nature that happens randomly and all around.

Some selections just from this week:

Redwood

For Sam's birthday we tried Redwood in Bethesda, MD.
I had wanted to visit this place for a while - allured by their well designed facade. Actually going IN I was pleased that the aesthetic carried on inside as well.
The schtick here is sustainability which is represented in the menu comprised of locally grown, seasonal, organic and naturally raised food. The food was very good but not awfully clever - I had salmon and Sam had pork ribs. The one exception bit - and I mean EXCEPTIONAL - was the monocacy silver ash rind goat cheese from Cherry Glen Farms, MD. It nearly melted in your mouth and looked pretty awesome to boot.

Their beverages were also some of the best I've had in a while. I judge a bar by how good they make a dirty, dry vodka martini. This one went down like water. We also had wine with our meal - Grooner! from Austria. My reasons for loving this should be obvious: Austrian! and it's name has an exclaimation point at the end! !!
The sad bit to this whole story was the service. We stopped by without reservations, and were told we'd have a 20 minute wait. No problem! We had out marinis at the bar. But an hour later.. I had to check in and look irritated (not hard, apparently this is my face's default). We were seated within 2 minutes. Our server seemed new and was a little flustered and generally dropped things, but that didn't bother me so much - people learn and she was generally attentive.
We polished the night off with desert which wasn't too remarkable and hopped off to The Barking Dog for a friend's birthday party. All in all not too shabby of a night.

Happy 2nd Birthday to Nooch

I bought Nooch from a pet store where he was destine to be snake food. I had taken taken some time off of work to recoup from getting my neck hacked open, and wanted a little company.

I like to describe him as a "plain brown sewer rat" when people ask me what kind he is. But the truth is, like most rats, he's very intelligent, playful and a bit of a love-bug.

For your viewing pleasure, Nooch as a baby when I first got him:

And Nooch today, on what I've estimated to be his Second Birthday, as a grown-up Super Rat:
He had vanilla ice cream and blueberries. Happy Birthday Nooch!