My pitas page

this weekend,
it's time to bake. oh yeah, baby.

canteen
and of course if one is already in soho around dinner time, one may as well get dinner in soho, and possibly a drink too many, right? so we went here, canteen, which i have walked by many times and have been so curious about--it's below ground level on mercer street under a still-not-open prada store. the food was So Good, and i'm not just saying that because they mix their gin and tonics Very Well. c had this tuna tartare which i think has got to be the best ever--and i've never had tuna tartare before. i had lamb which was of a melt-in-your-mouth texture, and c and i totally overdid it and split a banana-brownie-ice-cream sundae. smaller than it sounds, but i still ate most of it (as always--but i've already lost half of my post-9/11 weight gain so i feel ok about gorging).

visionaire
c's friend j works in the design dept. of this magazine, which has offices that double as a gallery space. last night we went to a reception in said offices for a small exhibit of likewise small books. and i don't just mean small--i mean TINY, like some could easily sit on a pencil's eraser. one was about the size of a crumb. a very compact, if odd, hobby.

last night's episode of ed
i know. most of the cool kids were rocking out to dismemberment plan, but those of us lucky to get out of going to a dreadful author event just wanted to watch some quality tv instead. and guess what: the old 97's song "king of the world" was used in last night's "ed"! i kid you not.

next furniture purchase
though it may not happen til this weekend, given the way the week is shaping up, scheduling-wise. but that's ok--these tables are gonna look way cute once we get evrything else together in the living area...

girl drowned in exorcism rite
i would draw your attention to the girl's name--"signifagance"--and that of her twin sister, "ellagance". misspelled? yes. insignifigant? no, i would argue.

author event up north
tonight i will be here--in scenic madison, connecticut--for an author event. this involves traveling by car for two hours each way with said author, who is approximately 95 years old. wish me luck...and cross your fingers as well that people actually show up, ok? i need all the help i can get on this one. i'm actually starting to outline the "consolation speech" i'll have to deliver to him when no one comes.

the passion
starting in on this book, another by jeanette winterson, whose "written on the body" i so adored a few months ago. this one is not about tortured love (so far) but about a kitchen boy in napoleon's army. we shall see--i would be surprised if tortured love and sensuality didn't come into play at some point.

island burger
introduced ms. a.m. to this place last night, which i am convinced has the best burgers in the world. i am stuck on the raoul (au poivre, swiss, mushrooms) burger, though, and am reluctant to branch out. which seems a shame, given the wide variety available.

ab fab
last night was the premier of new episodes of this terrifically funny brit show that i used to love. and i discovered last night is still love it--i want to be patsy when i grow up, though not quite such a drunk.

furniture, bought & paid for...
...courtesy of r.a. cohen and our old landlords, with whom we met today. they officially terminated our lease, and we got back all the money they owed us. enough to order this guy, as well as his/her companion armchair and ottoman. soon, we will have comfortable seats in the apartment!

coaster kit
just one example of the many fine gifts i was lucky enough to get this birthday from the friends i am lucky enough to have. the flowers don't come with the kit, but that's ok because i am using these coasters as a way to preserve concert tickets for future generations. well, maybe not future generations, but they do look cool in the short-term at least. (wouldn't you like to put your drink on u2, continental airlines arena, oct. 28, 2001?) now i get to start plotting said friends' xmas gifts, which is always so fun. have i mentioned how much i love christmas? but how i wish people wouldn't start decorating until at least the day after thanksgiving?

overcoming fear of water
well, not of water per se, but of putting my head under the water. i had quite the breakthrough in swimming class yesterday: i actually put my whole head under the water for the first time ever on purpose. it really DOES make it easier to float and such! i think wearing goggles made it much easier, since i could still see everything around me. but i felt good about it. i mean, maybe i'm gonna be a swimmer after all.

today's horoscope
quite a nice one on today of all days: SCORPIO: Friday, November 9: You're concerned about a great colleague who's plumbed the depth of the doldrums lately. And your expressions of care have not gone unnoticed. Your loyalty will be rewarded soon -- perhaps in a karmic way that will confirm the source. Be receptive to omens, irony and other poetic devices of life this weekend. The most discerning among you are having a magnificent journey. (And you can sign up to get your via email too at the link above.)

my famous brother
he played here last night with a new jazz guy he's going to be theoretially touring with in a few months. those of you who know my brother can only imagine how it pains him to use a wah-wah peddal for his guitar. but it pays the bills, right? and he's such a good player that this is all just part of paying dues before he hits the big time...or so i hope. because he really is good.

rafaella ristorante
i really do more with my time than eat out, i swear. but last night boy and i went here and it is indeed tres romantique, as miss piggy would say. low lighting, intimate tables, and really, really good italian food. the sad part is that these days it was like many other restaurants in the city--practically empty. but i would say to all the boys out there that this is a place to put on the list of good date spots. just fyi.

brasserie 8 1/2
8 1/2 is my favorite fellini film, so when i was given the option of going to a swank place called 8 1/2 for my birthday dinner with a.w., how could a girl resist? i also heard the entry staircase is way cool, but i found that while the slow, spiral descent into the restaurant was fun, it made one wonder if THIS is when they will slip and pitch down the stairs head-first in public. (in my world, such thoughts are never unrealistic.) but we survived, had a nice dinner, and really enjoyed the lighting. i can't even tell you why the lighting was especially grand, but it made everyone look as though they lacked pores and had well-tinted skin. my "horseradish crusted striped bass" was good (though its bed o' polenta was kinda boring), my dessert "apple tatin" was even better, and the bread i nibbled while waiting for the entree was just weird. oh: h.p. will appreciate that i had some of a.'s "roquefort mashed potatoes". very good choice, combining two of the best food groups around, cheese and potato. overall verdict: a nice place to go once, but i'm not sure what all the Fuss is about.

bono
i walked right behind him for three blocks one evening last week. he's about as tall as me, but he's such a rock star through and through that i find him devestatingly attractive regardless.

annie l., photog to the stars
was at the author party last night. with susan sontag. quite the couple. and other lit types were there, too, like writers for talk and details and editors of harper's and nyob and new yorker. i had a good time, actually, and actually had conversations with people and got home quite late and tipsy. all in all, a successful time.

the independent
if i feel well enough, will be heading here for an author dinner tonight. will be spending part of the afternoon with said author ("the hitch" as i like to call him...though not to his face of course) as well, including a "charlie rose" taping, which should be fun--i hear the green room is phat.