The next night Chrissy, Puck and me joined Jen at the Beacon Theater for her late birthday celebration to see Alice in Chains in concert. We had supper at Hummus Place behind the theater and joined the show. I didn't know any of the music, but it was fun to experience the concert.
That Friday Puck took me to their surprise birthday event, which turned out to be tickets to Dominic Turretto's Backyard Barbecue, a Fast and Furious-themed party in Greenpoint. We had hamburgers and fries, and of course, Corona beer. Puck got a free tattoo on their upper arm that says "Ride or Die." There were driving video games, karaoke, and lots of fancy cars to ogle. We screened the first F&F movie, which we watched most of the way through until we decided to leave and watch Fast & Furious 6 at home.
The next day Puck and I met up with Jen to watch Hadestown and then we went uptown to attend Michelle Z's going-away party at Mel's Burger Bar, although Puck had to leave early since they were feeling completely drained at that point after such a full day.
The following Monday I met up with Chrissy to finally have our makeup Met date that was canceled by a blizzard last winter. I wanted to see the Turner Whaling exhibit before it closed. We also saw a lot of beautiful dresses in a technology and fashion exhibit, all while Chrissy related her latest news about Rob.
In the evening Chrissy and I went a few blocks south to meet up with Jen and Puck, who were joining me to see Garbage in concert in the park. We said goodbye to Chrissy and waited in line until they let us in, and then we grabbed some top row seats in the bleachers so we wouldn't have to stand. Luckily we avoided rain and the concert was great - they played all their best songs and the sound was decent for an outdoor show.
The following Friday afternoon Jen and I took a weekend trip up to Albany so I could meet some of her family for the first time. Her cousins Beth and Giovanni wanted to hang out with her so it ended up being a good excuse to meet the other uncles and aunts as well.
We had dinner Friday night at a sports cafe in the hills overlooking Albany and then turned in early for a hike in the morning to Kaaterskill Falls.
In the evening we went to Gia's house and had Chinese takeout and then a little bonfire, plus drinking and some music making in her backyard. We also saw a doe as we were going to pick up the food.
Monday was Poly Cocktails, and I was there to meet a New York Times Magazine reporter so I had to stay a while before I headed over to Jen's for a sleepover. I also met a new potential volunteer named Kim and we exchanged info so I can mentor her into the OLNY Leadership Team. Tuesday Jen and I celebrated our six-month milestone with dinner at David Burke Kitchen during Restaurant Week. Jen started with the Pineapple Carpaccio and Tuna Tartare, while I had the Burrata & Grilled Artichoke. For entrees, I got the Young Roast Rack of Lamb and she had the Jurgielewicz Farms Duck Breast.
For dessert, I got the Valrhona Illanka Single Origin Truffle Cake with raspberry preserves and whipped crème fraîche, while she got the DIY Mini Monkey Bread with toffee brioche, banana caramel and maple pecan ice cream.
The next night I had a movie date with Rebecca at her place - we ordered some marvelous Indian takeout and watched two movies directed by Martin Scorsese: Hugo and Goodfellas. Thursday night Matt and Natalia came over to watch a few episodes of Young Indiana Jones, our current TV show after finishing Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries.
Friday I went to the DMV and finally got Yoshi registered in New York State, which was long overdue. I've never seen such a huge DMV, and it felt a lot like Purgatory. There must have been at least 150 people sitting and standing (every seat was taken) and waiting to be called to a window. If I hadn't made an appointment, I probably would still be there.
Afterwards I went over to Jen's to chill for a bit, then we went into Manhattan for Suzie's 50th birthday party under the Williamsburg Bridge. We narrowly missed getting a thunderstorm, which passed us to the north and rained on Alex Rodriquez's farewell party at Yankee Stadium.
Saturday I had a movie day for myself in the theater, watching Star Trek Beyond, the first hour of Finding Dory and then Suicide Squad - all of which were pretty mediocre. Then I headed down to Poly Chai at Bluestockings and met up with Jen, Puck, Alex, Natalia and Matt. After that, I hopped over to the PIT to see Liz, Victoria and Lytle, and watch Josh perform in the 40th episode of Gas Station Horror, an improv show based on scenes from really bad horror movies.
Today I went to the College of Staten Island to check out their athletic facilities because Jen and I want to try and play racquetball, as well as ping pong. So we've been gathering equipment and the place looks like a good place to play, plus it's cheap and doesn't require a contract. So we might start doing that this week.
