Text 11798, 150 rader
Skriven 2008-08-10 09:22:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: back to reality 747
===========================
0806
US4164 BWI LGA 1300 1411 DH8 4F

I left in plenty of time, so the Metro Website told me, to get
the B30 bus and get to the airport at 11:50, perfect timing;
only the red line was delayed, so I missed my connection to
the green line, and there was no way I'd get to Greenbelt on
time, so I got back on the red line to Union Station and paid
an extra $6 to take the cushy commuter train (really is worth
it, but I'm cheap and poor). Got to the airport at 11, and it
was my instinct to try for the 11:45 plane to New York, but
instead I decided to get a burger at Bill Bateman's (outside
security). The bartender was singularly glum but got my order
right: burger rare, fries well done. The sandwich was surprisingly
good, the meat seasoned with a Montreal-type seasoning, well
browned and quite pink inside. The fries were pale but extremely
crisp. A Sam hit the spot. Went through security in about 2 and
discovered that the earlier delayed flight was just closing ...
didn't think it was worth the trouble to run for it ... did some
surfing using the free T-Mobile for Red Carpet Club members before
going to the gate. Passed the site of the late lamented US Airways
Club, which was being cleared out - sad feeling. We loaded a hair
late for our flight but took off on time and landed a little
early. A shock: they are charging for drinks - $1 for coffee or
tea, $2 for soft drinks or water, and a whopping $7 for beer,
wine, or booze. I put my eyeshades on and snoozed. My connecting
flight, for which I had the best possible seat, was cancelled,
and so I went to the Club (US Air is stupid, but not so stupid
as to close the club in New York); 15F with a blocked middle
was the best they could do for me.

US 2134 LGA BOS 1645 1733 319 15F
was             1600 1711
was 2132 LGA BOS 1500 1610 319 2A

My seat was reasonably comfy, especially with the blocked
middle; also, when US Air bought these Airbuses, it called
for a business-friendly configuration, which means that
there are Empower ports (for computers) even in coach.

Apparently there were thunderstorms up and down the coast.
We sat around for a while, endangering the connection of the
couple across the way, who were going to Madrid on Iberia. The
FAs, though hard-edged and quintessentially New Yorky, were
as helpful as they could be, finding people up front who were
willing to switch with the uneasy couple in flight.

Thank goodness beer and wine are still complimentary on
Shuttle flights.

We landed less than half an hour late, which I guess is
a triumph of sorts.

I decided to take the bus to the north shore, which meant
walking to Terminal C; in the B-C passageway, there's a
display of works by Jamaica Plain artists, some of which
are very good. I saw one multimedia thing that I thought
quite disturbing and unattractive yet that arrested me; so
I stopped and read the card - the artist turned out to be
someone I dated about 15 years ago. H'm.

==
[next day]
My friend Bill had an invitation to go to an art opening,
and as his pal was under the weather I was tapped to go.
I figured, why not, look for some hot and age-appropriate
chicks ... well, it was at Grosvenor House, an old age home,
as it turns out - a very nice one at that, but I'm not
quite ready yet.

A very elegant event. On querying, I discovered that there
is this art studio in Marblehead that uses the venue every
year, and the home pulls out the stops for a relatively
small fee. The catering is done in house, and it appears
that the home uses this as a sort of community open house.
Here's what our kitchen can do! And then, once the reputation
is solidified, they sit back and watch the suckers, when it's
time to find an old age home, remember the wonderful catering
and sign up, only to find the same old bland stuff that old
age homes everywhere serve.

On the way in, had a chat with Barbara something, the
activities director, who said she might be interested in
hiring me for a recital for the oldsters sometime. Yay!

You have to give a place credit, though, when the first thing
you see on the buffet is eggplant Parmesan, and very good at
that. If the crush hadn't been so horrid, so I had to eat
standing up, and every time I reached into my pocket for a
milk pill, I found my hand at someone's crotch, I might have
gone off for seconds.

Chicken Marsala, a big breast in an only slightly too sweet wine
sauce, and covered with mushrooms, was hard to eat standing up
with a glass of wine in one hand and a plate in the other, so
several of us went to a used-dish station and perched there,
at least then having a place for our plates. At which I met
an intense older woman, who turned out to be the director of an
art therapy for developmentally disabled program; there was to
be a showing of some of the autism spectrum patients' film works
next day, and I said (as Jonathan has stuff going on in his head
in this general category) I'd try to make it. Unfortunately I
overslept and missed it.

There was also ziti and cheese, and a quite impressive cheese
platter, of which I did not partake, as there was plenty else
to nosh on.

And a deli platter of sweet capicolla, prosciutto, Genoa, and
mortadella, all good, but the prosciutto sliced maybe 1/6"
thick, pretty strange - and difficult to eat.

Passed snackies: stuffed mushrooms, with a bread stuffing that
was umami personified, and I had no idea how they did that;
and crabcakes that had shreds of crab with lots and lots of
breading, but it was that same stuffing, and somehow they
tasted really quite good.

For dessert: regular and chocolate cannoli, raspberries in a
chocolate shell, shortcake, ice cream, and poached pears. I
passed on all of these.

Monte Antico 04? "Super-Tuscan" blend was based on Sangiovese
and had that Italian quality, but there were aspects of
would-be Bordeaux as well (there is a small admixture of
Merlot and Cab Sauv), which endeared the wine to me. It was
nice and smooth, with lots of berries and a bit of spice.
I enjoyed it enough to have 5 glasses. There was also a
lesser red from Santa Cristina, but after one sip I passed.

A quite good live jazz trio of keyboard, bass, and drums, the
bass player being Tony Hebb (Bobby's nephew).

Turns out Bill had wanted to try to set me up with the rather
attractive Italian kitchen manager, whom apparently he had
tried at one time to date but who had put him off. She put me
off, too, but nicely, and played kneesies with me for a while.

We saw our friends Sy and Marilyn, music aficionados, who had
come to hear the trio; and in fact the band came over to their
table for break, so I got to meet them. And toward the end of
the evening, I sat and chatted with the studio instructor person
for a while, which was fun.

Left full, drunk, and amused. Never did get to see much of that
art, though.

___ Blue Wave/386 v2.30
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
 * Origin: Doc's Place BBS Fido Since 1991 docsplace.tzo.com (1:123/140)