ridaily - November 2009
2009-11-20The Twilight ObsessionWhen I first heard about the Twilight saga a year and a half ago, I at first felt a little squeamish. The idea of a vampire love story sounded childish , so I deflected the novel’s enticing advances. However, in the fall of 2008, my friends convinced me to see the film version of the first novel. While watching the amateurish special effects, I was lured into the story of a curious young girl who is swept off her feet by an introverted classmate...who may or may not be human. Fascinated by the story, I picked up a Twilight book, opened to page 1 and did not put it down. I begged people to read along to share my experience. Then, I soon began to understand that Twilight and its sequels are not really books about vampires, so much as about obsessive yet chaste love. No wonder... |
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2009-11-18Carcieri's 15 MinutesYesterday, we were too busy hiding under a rock (out of embarrassment) to post a link to this -- Governor Carcieri's skewering by Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert for his views on burial rights for gay partners. But it's still good for a laugh (or cry) this a.m. The title of the piece -- "Skeletons in the Closet" -- is brilliant and so is the tag line: "How is the governor of Rhode Island supposed to rest in peace knowing that a couple of plots over two dudes are being gay dead?"Good question. Another good question -- where is Keith Olbermann in all this? Reads like perfect fodder for his "Worst Persons in the World" nightly segment. Then we could really be proud. |
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2009-11-17The Miraculous Homemade SeltzerI’ve become kind of obsessed with these seltzer-water gadgets.I’m really late to the bandwagon on these, which have been out in the world for years. I just saw one for the first time two weeks ago at my friend Jen’s house when she offered me sparkling water and proceeded to make it. I don’t think I would have been as stunned if she'd pushed a button and made a banana.While I sipped my homemade seltzer, she enthused about its money-and earth-saving qualities. I am always equally frightened and thrilled by money-saving advice that involves buying something. On one hand, you hate to be that person who buys the kitchen gadget that “pays for itself in no time.” (Although I am oddly fascinated by this GT Express machine that turns any food into... |
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2009-11-16Shooting StarThis is the last week for Trinity Rep's current production, a short, two-person play clumsily titled Shooting Star. Don't hold the name against it. If you're at all interested in theater - even if you're not - this is the one to see. It's the kind of production that proves the whole point of theater - that a good play, done well, makes for a much richer experience than any movie, even 3-D IMAX. Set in Trinity's smaller downstairs theater, with a sparse set that evokes a deserted, snow-bound airport terminal, the intimate production tells the story of former college sweethearts who collide back into each other's lives while trapped at stopovers during a winter storm. A slightly shaky start soon revs up into a play so involving that I could have sat on those folding chairs all... |
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2009-11-12(Farmers') Market WatchThe Wintertime Farmers’ Market in Pawtucket started last weekend. I didn’t make it over there –– did you? –– but I plan on stopping by this weekend. According to the website, apples, squash, greens and root vegetables are all ripe for the picking, along with the usual locally made cheeses, eggs, maple syrup and baked goods. And with Thanksgiving just around the corner, it’s the perfect excuse to go and start stocking up for the big feast. For a complete list of vendors, click here. Wintertime Farmers’ Market, Hope Artiste Village, 1005 Main Street, Pawtucket. Market open Saturdays 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. through May 29. |
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2009-11-11How to Be a Good CustomerYesterday, Nicole posted a response to a piece that's been the talk of the blogosphere (and twittosphere and facebookosphere): Times blogger Bruce Buschel’s list of “100 Things a Restaurant Staffer Should Never Do.” It's a good list, and I agree with most of Buschel's points. But, having waited many a table and having catered more parties than I care to remember during my college days (and having once been directed to the nasty "servants' bathroom" in the even nastier basement of a prominent East Sider's home.... Really, you don't want the wait staff to have access to hand soap. Really?!), I thought it would be fun to create another list: Things a Customer Should Never Do.After jotting down a few, from the basic, "a simple hello goes a long way" to... |
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2009-11-10Rules for the Fragile DinerBack in September, Lisa posted tips from departing New York Times critic Frank Bruni on what to order in restaurants. I read it with great interest because I am a terrible orderer. I've never in my life ordered anything that made a server compliment my choice. I'll sit there as the server praises the selections of my dinner companions: “An excellent choice.” "Fantastic." “Superb!” Then it is my turn. “All right,” nods the server, unmoved. The shame!You might say, “So what? Who cares?” But I am a worrier. While my dinner mates dive into the bread basket, my mind will be full of ideas. Did the server know something? What happened to the last person who ate what I ordered?So. I was entertained by Times blogger Bruce... |
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2009-11-09Saving Me From MyselfI know it's stupid, but I can't stop. At traffic lights, stop lights, even intermittently during stop-and-go traffic... I text. For at least a year I've been telling people I hope it becomes illegal to text and drive, because then I wouldn't do it. And, thanks to a chock-a-block special session of the legislature, it finally is. So no more sneaking in quick "I'm running 10 mins late" messages on the straightaway for me. I'm a law-abiding kinda person. I'm going to blithely leave unexamined the fact that I used to do something stupid and dangerous, fully aware that it was stupid and dangerous, just because I could. The important thing, tra la la, is that I don't do it any more. |
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2009-11-06The Restaurant at AS220The Restaurant at AS220 opened today at 11 a.m. and is likely serving its very first customers as I type. Regardless of where you stand on the whole AS220/Taqueria Pacifica controversy (the beloved burrito joint housed within the art space closed a few months back after a rent dispute with AS220), its tough not to be intrigued by the new incarnation's delicious-sounding, super affordable menu.The most expensive item is just $8. Options include roasted pumpkin and squash soup with toasted pumpkin seeds ($4 a bowl); pulled pork empanadas ($4); and grilled chicken with sweet potato mash and collards ($8). No surprise, there are a ton of vegan and vegetarian friendly dishes, such as tandori tofu ($5); whole wheat... |
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2009-11-05I Heart PortlandWords can’t quite adequately describe how much I love Portland. The coastal Maine city is perfectly compact enough for ditching the car and walking everywhere, the people are warm and welcoming (imagine that?) and the dining scene is second to none. Seriously, you wouldn’t think it, but walk a block in any direction, pick a restaurant and you’re guaranteed a good meal. I try to make it up there at least once a year (spring and fall are the times to go; crowds are nil and hotel rates are low) and just returned from a quick visit there this past weekend. I had an awesome meal at The Front Room, which riffs on comfort-food classics. If you haven’t been, you don’t know what you’re missing.P.S. I’ve written about Portland before, so read that for... |
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