back on brooklyn time

so, i made risotto for the first time the other night. i mostly followed the recipe given to me by laura's dad, papa anzani. i didn't have any saffron to make it milanese style, and although it's not the same thing, i did add some zucchini like in the risotto i had for dinner in bergamo. papa anzani's recipe calls for a small glass of red wine to be added. i think i put in too much wine. is the risotto supposed to be purple?

it did taste pretty good, despite the color.

ej and i also visited the art exhibit of my friends, ayumi and aaron. this show had its opening reception while we were in italy, and it made me so sad that i couldn't be here for them. it did make me pretty happy that i could still see the show when i got back. actually, looking at this photo, i appear freakishly happy to see their "worlds of wonder" show.


together, ayumi and aaron are known as apak. they're based out of portland, oregon and do some amazing work. this tiny painting was one of my favorites. it was only about 5 inches tall. it's even better in focus.


i first met ayumi when we were both custom picture framers in berkeley, california. we bonded over food and she became like my "imouto" -- my little sister.


it's been years since we've seen each other in person, and i can't wait until she can meet ej and we sit down at a meal together again.


this past week, i also auditioned for a short film in bushwick. and i got the part! it's a small role, but i like the director's work. we shoot my scene on thursday.


this was on the subway. it's by e.b. white (author of "charlotte's web") and i just liked what he had to say. (you can click on the photo to enlarge it.)


ej and i walked through prospect part on our way to the central library in brooklyn. whenever we go to the park, we tell ourselves that we really should spend more time there. leafy green, cooler, relaxing...this is right before i boarded the alien spaceship.


the central library is a wonderful place. the park slope branch is cute, but it doesn't really doesn't hold much.


ej wanted to check out some scores to study.


i've been aching for a book called "tender at the bone", a memoir about food and growing up by ruth reichl. i found the book right away, and then enjoyed browsing through row after row of shelves filled with books. i'd forgotten how wonderful it was just to wander through a library. the smell of it. so many possibilities to read. so much to learn! i limited myself to just three books from the biography section. libraries are such a brilliant idea!


we also visited a place called chelsea market. it used to be a biscuit factory, but now it houses assorted shops with yummy foods. this is behind the scenes at amy's bread.


they were advertising a job opening as an entry level pastry assistant. i could learn how to bake! and i could practice my spanish! i got very excited until i saw that the shift was 6pm to 2am. i did not apply. this photo below reminds me of the other day when i was in a local bodega with my friend, lalita. there was a large, black man in line in front of us with whom we were chatting and he good-naturedly asked us, "you know that all the food in new york is mexican food, right?"
i asked, "because all the food is made by mexicans?"
he said laughing, "yup. there are mexicans in every restaurant kitchen in new york."
so true, so true. i can't wait for more of my mexican cousins to open up their own restaurants so that authentic mexican food can be more easily found in new york.


we stopped at the ronnybrook milk bar for a serious milk shake.


it was delicious.


the other night, ej and i helped our friend, dawn, celebrate her birthday. we joined the party at a mid-town pub called blaggard's. ej says the name is misspelled. here dawn applies some lip gloss that i brought her from milan.


dawn's boyfriend, pete, dawn, and us.


when ej occasionally drinks, he's loyal to the brew of his people: jameson's irish whiskey.


i love steve carrell. he was hosting saturday night live that night.


yesterday, i visited dean and gypsy to say hello for father's day. their grandson, tyler, is visiting and he brought his wii game. i'd never seen this hi-tech video game before, but i was soon playing. using the wands, the characters we've created on the screen move with our movements, so we can play tennis or baseball or other assorted games. i think we were bowling at this point. it was fun! jordan, one of the day attendants, is in the background, and dean is taking a break in bed, but keeping an eye on the game.


wow.
my wrist needs a break from computer work.