I’m done with the snow.
I pass by walks unshoveled, crosswalks blocked, tree branches broken, and cars buried. I tread carefully on still buried sidewalks, detour around mountains of ice my height, and wear heavier jackets.
Most of all, I await the arrival of spring and its longer, warmer days. I listen to the trickle of water into the storm drains and I think that maybe, fluid ounce by fluid ounce, this ugly crystalline inconvenience can finally be over.
From this to dinner in 80 minutes
So I’m trying HomeMade Pizza Co. Here is the minute by minute breakdown.
Minutes 1-5: Cool, they have web ordering.
Minutes 6-10: Ordering via phone because web interface is not working currently. It’ll be here in 45 minutes
Minute 55: It’s here! Right on time. Remember, I have just ordered an unbaked pizza for delivery. As in, I still have to bake it. Continue reading
I am in a GameStop in the Fair Oaks mall. White Knight Chronicles is out, a game that I had no real interest in until I realized that it had a Phantasy Star Online element to it.
I’m in line when I think I recognize the manager. I see his name tag and see that his name is Todd, just like the manager of the Electronics Boutique that I used to work weekends over five, maybe six years ago. He is thin, and he looks older and yet younger at the same time.
“Todd?” I try, still unsure. His appearance is so different from the man I knew before.
“Yeah? Oh hey Fil! How are you?”
“Good, good. Man, you lost a lot of weight.”
“Well I had cancer.” The response is fast, matter of fact. I grasp for a response.
“Well had is good, right? Past tense.” It explains why he looks so different.
He laughs and explains. He had paranasal sinus cancer. Five years ago he finished treatment. Now he’s the manager at the Fair Oaks GameStop. He gets me up to date with a couple of the other guys we used to work with. Several others are now managers.
He rings me up and we say goodbye. The file in my head gets updated.
Cancer survivor.
I am reeling from the second half of my cheesesteak sandwich from Chutzpah deli, a large hero sandwich with slices of beef, melted american cheese, green peppers, banana peppers and onions. It is delicious, and it is also slathered in ketchup which is apparently a Bronx thing. Earlier in the day, I contemplated ordering a matzo brei and possibly eating it with ketchup. Josh pointed out that’s a very typical way of eating it for anyone who grew up in the Bronx.
Seeing as how I grew up in Chula Vista, I think that’s great. One condiment to rule them all, and in the stomach bind them.
I ate the first half, hot and also slathered with ketchup earlier in the day. Accompanying it was a chocolate egg cream. Accompanying that was Josh and Lori explaining anything on the menu that I had questions about.
And all of that together, really hit the spot. After the blizzard kept us in our homes, a day of socializing with food was more than welcome.
Maybe we were all hungry after the long trip to Fairfax, but I don’t doubt that the food was delicious. The egg cream was rich and chocolaty, and didn’t last very long. It was made in the traditional manner with Fox’s U-bet Chocolate syrup. It had a really amazing head of frothed milk that I’ve never been able to replicate at home.
Next time, I’m ordering a matzo brei, maybe some kasha varnishka. Probably not celery soda though.
Awkward moment of the meal: I notice a pirate flag when we enter, and I joke that maybe it’s pirate day. Two seconds later, Lori points out that one of the servers may be wearing an eyepatch for medical reasons. Oops.
I love the idea of going off the grid, particularly for the small electric devices in my possession. I imagine a small wind turbine or possibly a solar array on the roof of my condo building, charging a car battery that charges my phone. Then I think about the condo association and realize that’s not going to happen.
It’s a shame really, especially since the summer months have so much potential.