Fluff

[dancerjodi]

We checked out a new Italian restaurant on Moody Street - Gemelli's. Its in the old spot that Ritcey's Seafood was in, attached to the ERA Kirsch Building (where Ken the wonder realtor works). So good! The place is small, but the service was very attentive. Brian got gnocchi and meatballs and though it was tasty, wasn't the most amazing sauce he's ever had (but, he just got gnocchi and meatballs!). I tried their tortellini w/ chicken, prosciutto, capers, artichokes, tomatoes in a garlic cream sauce. SO GOOD! Brian was kind of regretting getting the generic meal that he did.

They have pizzas with lots of interesting topping options, calzones, and dinners ranging from around $10-$20. I can't comment on the wines (we don't drink) or desserts (we didn't order them), but we'll definitely be going back again.

I know I went to High School with a Gemelli, I just can't remember his first name, who he was, and what he looked like. When we were there I noticed that the table tops were painted by a R. Vanaria and I know some people from that family too. Brian was making fun of my townieness.

Post dinner we were in Burlington so that Brian could get more obscure bits for another obscure costume piece, so we checked out Coldstone Creamery. We didn't like it. The options are fun, and it tasted good but sat in both of our stomachs like rocks (we even bought the smallest sizes we could get). The texture was just - weird. Earlier in the week I was in the same plaza with a co-worker to check out the LL Bean and other stores. There's a Borders Books in there (some competition to Barnes and Noble), an Omaha Steaks place, and a bunch of clothing and food places. I was unimpressed with the LL Bean given its small size and its targeting itself as more of an active outdoor place (so they don't have a huge selection). Still, its neat that there is one so close. I also checked out Coldwater Creek and Ann Taylor Loft. I've never been in either store before, but was pleasantly surprised with what they had, and how they cost (compared to expectations).

I find that as I spend more time shopping (which I hate) and buying clothing (which I also hate) I'm getting more knowledgeable about brands, fads, and that kind of thing. I'm having an easier time finding things that fit me well, are decent quality, and are a reasonable price. Its also kind of a fascinating sociological experiment - seeing what's on the shelves, what your average woman wants to buy, and the kind of people that shop. And, the ways that they do shop. Brian told me he loves me for all of this and that I'm a nerd. Either way, I'm getting clothes that fit me, that look good on me, that are comfy, and will last "forever" (or, at least I hope they will). Its been an interesting process. I had a $100 budget yesterday and my goal was to get a pair of jeans, a pair of dress pants and 2 sweaters. I ended up with a $16 pair of Old Navy Jeans, a $10 pair of NY and CO dress pants (no kidding! the were at Cohoes in Lexington Center), a $12 sweater, a $20 sweater, a $10 pillow for my new rocking chair, and had $30 still leftover. Score! I used that remaining money at iTunes (more on this below).

We had decided to forgo the Boston plans given how crazy things have been for Brian at work this week, and stuck closer to home to run some errands instead. Now we have groceries and our cats have litter for the boxes (which is kind of important), and Brian can continue working on his Sandtrooper backpack. I also broke my iTunes cherry and signed up for a membership, purchasing that Delovely soundtrack and an ancient Pointer Sisters album (the first one). We used to listen to that thing all of the time up at the studio, back when Miss Beth was our teacher for jazz. To this day, something in the song "Automatic" still gets me. Ah well, I'm a child of the 80s, what can I say!

I think the whole electronic music purchasing thing is really neat, and its been a cool way for me to really think about what I want, save some $ in the process, and prevent accumulating more clutter. Our CDs went off their shelf a long time ago and are stored in binders that are hidden in our entertainment center. A good deal of them are ripped to MP3, and its been kind of freeing to have that easily portability of so much music at one time. I'm curious to see how this goes 5, 10, 20 years down the line.

Comments

[bratling.livejournal.com]

I'm curious to see how this goes 5, 10, 20 years down the line.

ditto. recently i was thinking about how willing we the buying public may or may not be to buy compressed media. mp3's and iTunes AAC files are "lossy" -- some audio quality is sacrificed. is it worth it? i used to think not, but recently i realized that DVD's are also "lossy", and we can see it sometimes. and it doesn't stop us from buying them, does it?