SOME QUICK CHO-CHO

We're in New York. We're still recovering from packing up our apartment and traveling to our families to say our (temporary) goodbyes. We leave for Amsterdam in five days - I really don't think that fact has hit me yet. We're living out of suitcases, and I'm working on an experiment. How many days in a row can a white tank top be worn before it just becomes rank? And who knew this prissy diva would be getting so good at washing clothes with shampoo in sinks? I am adapting. It's quite fun actually. We still have more friends to see here in NYC. Off to watch American Idol.

MY CAR WILL GO ON

I was never so sentimental as to actually name my car. There were even times when I didn't like it very much - where I would have given it away at the drop of a hat. But today, I really did give my car away, and with that simple action, I am left with nothing but memories about the first car I ever bought myself. The car that I bought with ugly pinstripes down the side that I worked my ass off getting rid of. The car that never once got pulled over or in an accident. The car that got broken into more times than I'd like to remember (three). The car that took me to every job I've had since college. The car that saw its share of my suitors, but knew it had found a keeper in Adrian, especially when the first time he drove it he bumped into another car and tried to deny it even though I heard the whole thing. (He eventually made the car his own.) My car has a new home now. It's no longer my car - it now belongs to a new family, and will be driven by a soon-to-be sixteen-year-old who will make her own memories with it. I know they will be fabulous.

MIO REVISITED

It started as a simple, yet half-baked, idea. How fun would it be to go back and work at Mio Vicino for one last day? Sure, it had been almost seven years for me and ten years for Katie since we'd worked there last, but it was a home you never really leave. A place where they invite you back with open arms and the day-to-day workings don't really change. At least we hoped.

We ran with five people on the floor. I as the hostess with the mostess, a job I now claim to have been born for. Cathy as the main server, with Katie helping out with any thing she could (i.e. take orders, run food); we had a pro busser from the regular staff, as well as Sean - owner, manager, old friend. Lunch is quick - people don't come in multiple waves, they come in one long wave from about 12:00pm to 1:30pm. You don't really have time to stop...and then before you know it, the rush is over and it's all about deciding what it is that you want to eat. The best part of the day.

I can't speak for Katie, but for me, it was like I'd never left. The cooks are the same, some of the customers are the same, the opening and closing rituals are the same. The smell in your clothes is the same. It's nice to know there's a place for you if you should ever live nearby and want to take it. For now though, it was nice to just taste it for one last time.