My fingers are smart.

Awhile back, I saw this tiny plate with the Space Needle on it, and really wanted it. But for $24+$10 shipping, it was just too much for a tiny plate. It was late 2007, so I was already up here, but Seattle was still extremely new and exciting. I was pretty bummed, but eventually I got over it.

On Tuesday, after one last lunch at a Mexican restaurant (it was Cinco de Mayo, totally unintentional), Kr and I stopped at the Goodwill to drop off one last box from her office. And wouldn't you know, as I was blindly reaching for plates on a shelf above eye level (a shelf you could've seen, no problem), I pulled a Space Needle plate with a 99¢ price tag. Sure, I felt a little bit smug that I picked up such a bargain (although it's a little chipped), but mostly I was delighted that I got something I really wanted. Yay!

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My heart just went a little melty.

Aww, you guys--I did front desk for interviews this year, and one of the interviewees tracked me down on Facebook and told me they got in. Not creepy at all. Just heart-melty. Aww.

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I forgot to tell you! Or, Events Coincide.

On Friday, April 10, 2009, I had a giant bowl of tagliatelle carbonara. It was amazing. It came with an organic egg yolk perched on top, with "hand cut noodles, English peas, smoky bacon, black pepper and Parmesan." It was a fantastic meal, and it was also a bit of a triumph.

The last time I truly enjoyed a carbonara-based dish was late December, 2003, a few days before I left on vacation for Thailand, and the day after I ate at Joyfull. I left that Italian restaurant and arrived home, happy. It was Sunday. I went to bed, and dreamed of school lunch. Around 3am, I woke up and my mouth was watering--not because I was hungry, but because that was the signal that I was about to spew. So I spewed. It was hell.

About 10 miles away, two really good friends were experiencing the same gawdawful thing. We're pretty sure meat from Joyfull was the culprit. Worst case of food poisoning I've ever had.

So here I am, almost 5 and a half years later, and I can finally eat carbonara again. I feel like this should be a clever metaphor for something, but surprisingly, it's not. (No really, I am surprised.) Instead, I'm excited that I've reclaimed one of my favorite foods, and I'm looking forward to making pasta carbonara at home. I love a happy ending.

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Today was awesome!

List of awesome things that happened today, with links!

1. Some random stranger is going to send me an election day newspaper!
2. I made dinner without using a recipe! It was decent!
   
3. I saw John Hodgman!
4. I saw Jonathan Coulton!
5. I saw Sean Nelson!
6. I saw John Roderick!
7. My Obama shirt arrived! (Late, but I don't care!)

John Hodgman did a reading from his new book, More Information than You Require, but that's always more exciting because it includes Jonathan Coulton. Somehow this turned into a little skit that brought on a "replacement" singer, John Roderick (The Long Winters), and a "replacement" tweedy nerdy guy, Sean Nelson (Harvey Danger). It was like watching a cheesy high school skit, but with talented, clever people.

It was way awesome! There will be more photos elsewhere, but here's the one with Sean Nelson, because I love Harvey Danger and Sean Nelson is fantastic. I mean, look at that suit. It's teal a well-worn black suit (judging from other photos)!

John Roderick, Sean Nelson, and me!
(Yes, I am small, but they're seriously huge.)

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Butcher's Twine

The pot roast went well. It fell apart and I'm all meat-and-potatoed out. Awesome. No pictures because I tore into that thing. Totally worth the 6 hours (including prep). Example: when I carefully peeled the butcher's twine off, flakes (flakes!) of meat came off with it.

Only slightly related: a few days ago, when I asked the woman at the grocery store meat counter if they had butcher's twine, I had hoped she would point me to the correct aisle. Instead, she reached under the counter and rhythmically looped a few yards, cut it, folded it into fourths, and deftly twisted it into a piece of saran wrap. That's the closest I've felt to being in Japan in a very long time.

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