Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

The Gryphon and I had a quiet weekend. It's the only weekend in January where we don't have an activity planned, so we wanted to make the best of it.

On Saturday, we went out for breakfast and then spent some quiet time around the house, as I added my CDs to my iMusic library, and he played his new video game.

Then we got dressed up and went out to dinner. We decided to go downtown, for a little change, and we parked at 69th Street and caught the El. The train was packed, which kind of surprised me, because I hadn't been on the El very often on Saturday night. I used to take it every day when I worked in Old City.

We got off at 13th Street and walked to A Passage to India, an Indian buffet. The host put us at a table right next to the buffet and asked if it was OK. The Gryphon said he'd prefer a seat further back, and the host said we could move. But just as we were sitting down, one of the wait staff told us that they were expecting a large party and we had to sit in the seats we'd been originally directed to. It was a little embarrassing, but I doubt anyone really noticed.

At any rate, the food was good, and they had plenty of vegetarian entrees, which I liked because they tend to be lower in fat, as long as you avoid the ones with lots of cheese. We each had a glass of wine and got into an animated conversation about pop culture, in which I asserted that I hated both The English Patient and The Titanic because they are so overwrought and unbelievable.

"What was the best part of the movie?"

"When Leo drowned," I said. I've never understood what people saw in that guy. He looks like a lollipop: his head is 12 times the size of his skinny body, and he perpetually looks about 13. Talk about a turnoff.

I will concede, though, that he turned in a fine acting performance in The Aviator, because in that movie he didn't hid behind his so-called good looks.

The Gryphon suggested we have dessert at a gelato place about a block away, Capogiro. A woman in an oversized Eagles jersey and black leggings (not a good look on anyone, much less a plus-sized woman) and her preteen daughter were at the counter, asking for samples of every single flavor. I thought they were taking advantage of the situation, getting the equivalent of a free scoop when you add it up, but the 20-something men behind the counter just smiled benignly and kept filling sample spoons.

Eventually, after The Gryphon and I had ordered our gelato and taken a seat, the two finally ordered something. They also got coffees to go, so I guess they did make up for the freebies.

I got pistachio and sweet dark chocolate. Gelato is a denser, creamier version of ice cream, and fortunately the servings are small. When I tried to find it later in my Weight Watchers books, I couldn't find it, so I was forced to write down the points for premium ice cream, which I figured was the closest parallel. Premium ice cream has almost twice as many points as regular ice cream, because it has more calories and fat.

We were having such a nice time that we decided to walk down to the Hotel Merriott and get a drink before heading home. I had a White Russian, while The Gryphon had Kahlua on the rocks. He regaled me with stories from the book I gave him for Christmas, The United States of Arugula, which looks at the people who brought a better appreciation of food to America.

Of course, the football game was on, and a lot of people were gathered around watching the TVs. Every time something happened, they would cheer or howl in pain, which got to be a distraction, if you can imagine. So we headed home.

At home, we opened a bottle of a fruity white wine and relaxed for a while. Why is it, though, that as soon as you get home and get comfortable, you start to fall asleep? We ended up asleep on the couch by about 1 a.m.

Sunday was a similar day. After breakfast we ran to the grocery store and then hung out at home until The Gryphon had to go to his meeting of PAGE (Philadelphia Area Game Enthusiasts). He cooked a delicious roasted chicken and vegetables for us.

Since Monday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day, The Gryphon didn't have to go to work. He did, however, have to stop by the office to reboot the server, which had gone off-line Sunday, having been hit by the Holiday Gremlin. The Holiday Gremlin only strikes on holidays or vacations, just to keep The Gryphon on his toes.

Fortunately, aside from the travel time, it didn't take him long to fix the problem. He was back by my afternoon assignment, so we could run out to Target together to pick up some shelves. I want to reorganize my storage in the basement, although I don't know when I'll get a chance to start it, since I have a lot going on right now.

We also got a hanging basket to put produce. It even hangs high enough above the side table so as not to be tempting to our kitty, Luke. We came home for dinner, and The Gryphon made mashed cauliflower and cheese, to go along with the leftover chicken. Delicious! This is one boon about being engaged to a foodie: great dinners!

Copyright 2006 by Alyce Wilson

January 2007 Index

Musings Index

What do you think? Share your thoughts
at Alyce's message board (left button):