Where have I been? Everyday I think about writing here and then more life happens and I just don’t get to it. It’s funny. It isn’t like I am terribly busy. I have been home for almost three weeks. I have been trying to keep the apartment clean around the chaos that we have in here. I have been “looking” at what’s next for me. I know what I want to do, clearly. It isn’t like I can just pick up the phone and call Judd Apatow and say, “I have a great idea for a script. Let’s work together…” Or can I? I am still drinking a lot of coffee and walking since I have returned. Here it is a bit more of a chore. Not the coffee part…although, it is different it is great here. We have a French press as opposed to my sister who has a Nespresso machine. Definitely two different brews that both get the job done in a delicious way. Walking on the other hand just isn’t as easy here for me as it is there. There I had to walk. Here I have to force myself to walk.
We have been walking to the Farmer’s Market on the weekends. It is over 3 miles round trip from our apartment. The walk there seems easier…it’s down hill. Breakfast at Charlie’s wasn’t as good as it was the week before. It seemed like they had forgotten our order as other people got theirs before we did even though they ordered after. Then my two eggs over easy came out and it was one egg…which was fine. I only need to eat one egg if I have toast and potatoes but I paid for two. They remade them too quickly. They came out a bit like over easy. That’s an exaggeration. It was more like they showed the eggs the flame. They were done on the outside but barely cooked on the inside. Not much worse than a cold raw yolk. I ate one for the protein and called it a day. We walked around the Farmer’s Market and The Grove. We went to Crate and Barrel and fantasized about the furniture magically being in our apartment. How I would love to get a new couch! (Someday I will write about the couch saga…) We went to the French store there Mr. Marcel Gourmet Market. They were giving away samples of fresh Truffled Ham. Really tasty. Not the same as the Truffle Salami in Amsterdam, but it had a subtle flavor that was delightful. The owner said to us in a deep French accent, “You know how I eat this? With my fingers!” We went to the fish guy and bought fresh red snapper for dinner and then bought lemons from one of the produce stands. Then we walked home. Around half way I was ready for a cab. I half jokingly asked John to walk home and get the car. But I persevered and kept on. It was a great day. It ended with an amazing home made dinner of red snapper with home made tartar sauce (I used shallots and Bubbie’s pickles) and Brussels sprouts snapped off the stalk and itty bitty potatoes.
I have been going to the Farmer’s Market at 3rd and Fairfax since I was a child. When they decided to build The Grove I was so worried they would ruin the feeling of the Farmer’s Market. There was, of course, the concern of traffic and such. I am happy to say I don’t think they ruined it. Sure there are things I miss about how it used to be. But I really do like it. I like The Grove for what it is and I still enjoy poking around the Farmer’s Market. In my opinion, however, they ruined Dupars. I don’t know if it is the new ownership or the remodel or what it is exactly. The food isn’t as good. Maybe the food never was that good but the ambiance made up for the multitude of sins and now that it is all clean inside one expects more from the fare. I don’t know. What I do know is there used to be nothing like their grilled date nut bread with cream cheese on it. Really, it was like heaven in your mouth. And, the pancakes with the ladle full of melted butter poured over them was genius. Now, not so much.
When you walk you see so many things you never see or notice when you are driving. Sure there are the smells of the neighborhood…not all of them great. There are the people. A lot of people walking their dogs. There is a house I have seen for years while in the car. 
I had no idea they have a HUGE aviary with all kinds of exotic (and not so exotic) birds. Big yellow and green ones and smaller parrot like birds all living together in one big aviary. We walked by the stores and poked in and out of the thrift stores on Fairfax and then to counter balance the filth we went into Jonathan Adler on Melrose. I love the dichotomy of this neighborhood. The old and the new. The rich and the poor. And, all the in between. It is fascinating.
Thanksgiving is Thursday. Mom will make my Grandmother’s stuffing. That will make life worth living all the more. It is also my mother’s birthday and we will all be together. I have much for which to be thankful and much for which to be grateful. I am living a great life!
Oh, and today is the 150th Anniversary of On The Origin of Species. 150 years ago today and people are still debating its validity. What the…?! People are funny. Scary and funny! I have a lot to say on the matter. Boy, do I. And, I think I need to know my audience a bit more. I don’t want to alienate my base so-to-speak.
So, I am off. My car won’t wash itself. Groceries won’t just show up in our apartment and someone needs to find me a job!