April 16, 2005
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Anniversary Celebration
Once I finished my taxes and got them in the mail yesterday, I felt totally wiped out. Taking a nap is increasingly difficult, but I tried both yesterday and today. The first time I tried today, my nap was interrupted by a phone call from Delia and the arrival of a big package, which drove Rocky up the wall. I broke off my nap after only 22 minutes in order to bring in the package and calm the dog.
The second attempt, I set the timer for two hours and my slumbers were interrupted four times before I finally gave up.
The phone stopped ringing when I got up.
One of the callers had been Cathy, asking if we should go have dinner together to celebrate the occassion. I told her to call her mother and set something up, that I would be willing to go along with anything the two of them decided. A few minutes later, Delia called to ask where we should go. I told her I would go anyplace she and Cathy decided on.
They decided to go Thai. But while we detoured to get gasoline, Cathy consulted her coupon book and found coupons for two places in La Mesa that sounded good, the Tamerind (Thai) and European Bistro (East European). We decided to try the latter.
European Bistro is divided into three parts, partly the result of recent expansion: a deli, a sushi bar and the restaurant. The steaks were Russian style, we were warned, with lots of fat in them. Disregarding this warning, Delia selected the Steak Italia No [as it was printed on the menu]. She was immediately unhappy with her selection and continued unhappy despite attempts to view the brighter side of things. Cathy ordered a mustard-marinated steak, which she enjoyed but consumed rapidly, remaining hungry. I ordered a salad and some potato dumplings.
The salad was a mix of chicken breast meat, straw mushrooms and other, mostly unidentifiable, stuff, with a sauce of sour cream and vinegar. It came in a bowl with a serving spoon, so I took about a third and offered the remainder to Delia and Cathy. Neither took much. I found the salad to be very tasty, so I took a bit more and repeated my offer to the others. Having tasted it, Cathy was ready to pounce on what I left, leaving only a small part for Delia. Sharing the salad that way worked out very well and I will plan on sharing a salad the next time we come.
My dumplings had a thick skin, like unfried potstickers. The filling was a mixture of potatoes, meat and spices, all ground to a fine texture. The small bowl of sour cream that came with it was the perfect accompaniment. I'll have to use sour cream the next time I fix ravioli.
Having enjoyed my meal, I asked if they had expresso, the perfect way to end a good meal. They had Turkish coffee instead. They served the boiling-hot brew in a standard sized coffee cup instead of anything smaller. With a touch of sweetener, it was the perfect way to end a good meal.
I had a glass of good single-malt Scotch when we got home.
Then Cathy gave us a present, the contents of the package that arrived to end my first nap: a Roomba robot. We plugged in the battery and turned it loose in the living room. It was not so loud as to interfere with television viewing. Rocky, while nervous at first, quickly accepted the strange newcomer, neither barking at it nor running away. It got trapped under the sofa for a while but eventually worked its way out after cleaning under both sides. It seemed to hit just about everywhere in the living room before Cathy shut it off to see how well it had cleaned.
Derek forgot to call to wish his mother a happy anniversary.
