Last night was the Belgian Beer Fest, and unlike last year, we managed to try a beer from every brewer (sometimes even more than one.) To be honest, there was no one stand out beer for me (last year I loved the Wolaver's Wit Beer made with coriander and orange peel.) The selections from the Global Beer Network were def the best overall. There was a stand out TERRIBLE beer.. The Allagash Interlude. I typically like Allagash beers, but this made me want to vomitron all over the floor. It literally tasted like a barnyard. I also discovered that although I don't like sour beer, expressing my distaste put a sad face on at least one brewer. I just dont like drinking a warhead in liquid form!

It was a good time, albeit a bit noisy and dizzying. 1,000 people in a space with bad acoustics and lots of crazy beers is a little overwhelming. Also, I was very sad when they ran out of the waffles like two people in front of us!!

Afterwards, we decided to go meet Josh at Cactus Club where he was finishing up his shift. Perhaps we should have just gone home, but it was early and we were feeling a bit goofy. We went to the Other Side and Little Steves and eventually piled ourselves into a cab.

My mom is coming tomorrow for a week. I'm working Mon and Tues and then we're driving out to the Cape on Wed. I'm not quite sure what we're going to do with all that time, but she hinted at wanting to take a 22 mile bike ride. And sewing lessons. And probably bonding.

The next couple weeks are a bit nuts. Hunter's cousin is coming to visit in two weeks, and then it's my birthday and then.. ok I guess there's not THAT much going on. Hunter's mom and stepdad are coming up the second week of November and we're going with them to Kennebunkport, Maine for the weekend. The place we're staying is an adorable old mansion.

I finally picked up the book I bought a few months back on American house architecture styles. As nerdy as it is, I'm really interested in knowing stupid things like what a saltbox style vs. a cape cod style... so the book has been really informative!

We went to the Cape again this weekend. We saw seals!



We walked on the beach!


Then we ate Mexican food and sat around the fire for the rest of the night.

Woo weekend.

This weekend is the Belgian Beer Fest (so excited!) Then my mom comes on Monday.. and guess what! We're going to the Cape!

She's getting me a sewing machine for my birthday, so she's gonna be giving me some lessons over the week on how to make button holes and insert zippers. I know I'm going to suck for a great while, but once I'm decent, I have some vintage patterns that I want to try out. Because obviously, I need more clothes.

Also, I bought a bridemaid dress for a something that will be happening in the next 6 months or so. Ahaha! Oh brother!

And finally, we dont really have a set anniversary, but Hunter and I met about 2 years ago and sort just didn't stop hanging out. I am totally ok with that!

Or this?

oh man. have i posted this?

I was trying to hold off on talking about Tricia's visit until she posted her pics, but since she is taking forEVER (as in more than one day,) I will have to post my pics and then some of hers lattterrr.

She flew in on the 4th and I was able to meet her at the airport. After getting to my place we headed out for a long evening of exploring Cambridge. We started at Shays, then headed to River Gods, Enormous Room, The Cantab and People's Republic. Whew. We had to stop and buy $1 flip flops cause our feet were already hating from all that walking.

Here's Tricia at Shay's (her favorite place of the trip)


After a slow start Friday morning, we went shopping on Newbury Street, and she got to experience the H&M. We met up with Hunter in the North End for dinner at Maurizio's.

Our dinner:

PEPERONI ARROSTO - Roasted peppers stuffed with fresh basil and fresh mozzarella cheese over arugula salad with parmesan crostini

ASPARAGI CON PANCETTA E FORMAGGIO- Roasted asparagus wrapped with imported pancetta and mozzarella cheese over aruglua, e.v.o.o. and balsamic reduction

Insalata di spinaci - Fresh spinach salad with apples, strawberries and toasted walnuts in a light blue cheese dressing (Tricia).. she also got the minestrone soup.

Ravioli di patate alla Sarda ~ Potato, caramelized onion and pecorino Sardo ravioli in a light tomato besciamelle sauce with fresh mint (me)

Sogliola alla parmigiana ~ Filet of sole, Sardinian style, crusted with parmesan cheese in a lemon white wine sauce served over sauteed spinach (Hunter)

Dinner was amazing, and we stopped in for some espresso and cannolis at Cafe Victoria afterwards.

We walked through the Faneuil Hall area and took some pics with the locals



Josh met us somewhere on Boylston street and we hit up and Irish pub, the loungey bowling alley (which was cool but empty,) Match and The Last Drop. After the bars closed we decided to walk across the Harvard bridge towards Central. Got a little distracted..




We got some 3am pizza, made friends with a cop and finally got a cab.

The next day, despite our sore feet, we walked on the "Freedom Trail" so that Tricia could see some more historical sites, like graveyards!



That night we cooked a bunch of food and had some of my friends over for dinner.




It was great to sort of take it easy.. We probably walked 15-20 miles during her trip here. I woke up in the middle of the night that night with my feet throbbing.

Sunday, we shopped a little more and walked on the esplanade until Maria got into Boston. It was the first time we'd all been together in quite some time...



Tricia went back to NYC with Maria the next day and I went back to work. It took me most of the week to recover from the visit. I am an old woman.

The National + Obama = bliss

Blogging from the floor

This weekend was the long-awaited Cape Cod weekend with the Desmonds. Nell and Dominic's fam has owned their place in Harwich for about 8 years now, and they brought a few of us out there (me, Hunter, Dom, Nell, Dan, Josh, Bart and Penny.)

We didn't end up spending too much time at the beach, but we ate plenty of food, listened (sang and danced) to plenty of music, went shopping, played Trivial Pursuit, taught the Brits how to make smores and sat around bullshitting for hours.

OH! and then their was the Treasure Chest. People drop off stuff they dont want and then you can dig through and take whatever you want.. I scored a green class decanter, leather satchel, fondue set, a copy of Mommie Dearest and more. Amaaazing.

I also scored an amazing dress and coat from this store Nell and I popped into. Gahh I'm in love with them both.

Yesterday some of us went down to Provincetown, which is at the very end of the cape. We got stuck in traffic on the way, so we stopped in Wellfleet to use the restroom.. Amazingly, we happened to stop at the site where Marconi sent the first transatlantic telegraph. I recently read Thunderstruck, so I was shrieking a little with excitement. They even had a model of the structure



Provincetown is an artsy, touristy seaside town, with a chaotic downtown. I've never seen so many dogs. Or bears. We poked around for a bit, at some great carribean food and called it a day.



We ate dinner at Brax, where Dom and Josh used to work, then headed back to sit by a fire in the backyard. Penny was visiting from England and told all sorts of crazy stories of living in Hong Kong and surviving the tsunami in Thailand. We made smores and played guitar and swang in the hammock until we were all exhausted. It was a great night.




randoms:




Miss Tricia is coming THURSDAY. Holy crap. New roommates are moving in.. things are chaotic. Should be an interesting couple of weeks.