meals with friends in DC

Oh gosh, I am behind, aren't I? Shame on me! Ah well - a quiet evening here. Sipping some Torrontes, blogging while awaiting Conrad's return from his latest Honolulu work trip. Let's catch up.

My first night in DC for conference I barely had time to say hello to Martin in the room before he was out the door and I soon followed. Non-conference folk. Swimmers, in fact. Dinner with a few former teammates and spouses. How did so many Smelts end up in DC?

We ate at Againn. Interesting place: a seafood/British pub theme going. I wanted to like it a lot, especially given all the promising items on the menu. Some small problems:

• the ammonia stink of the raw bar near the entry. I was glad we got a table far from it.
• the waiter or the bartender or both didn't understand drinks. David wanted a SWEET cocktail. Both attempts weren't. I asked for a fairly common British beverage on a warm summer night, lager and lime. They didn't know how to handle that one either even with my explanation when the waiter came back to the table.

Not bad food, though, if not really great. I liked but didn't LOVE my pork belly, and the radishes, while fine, were not a $7 dish. Ah well.

It's all about the company, though, and it was great to see Geoff
again after our terrific spring visit, see Cheryl and Dave not long after their visit to Chicago, and see David (and meet his partner Scott) after a number of years. I'll be glad to visit DC again (not Againn), swim with the team, and get caught up with these friends over food and beverage.

The next night it was Ethiopian food in Adams-Morgan with CG and her colleague Terry, and with TK in tow and meeting them for the first time. Wow, filling dinner. Meskerem was where we ate, and judging by how packed it got, it's a popular choice. CG and Terry opted for red meat while TK and I shared the vegetarian sampler for two, all of it with copious bread. He and I came home and moaned on to Martin about having injera belly. Well worth it, though. And the walk back to the hotel? Not short, but certainly a smart idea, especially given that we stopped for ice cream, too!

quick Monday evening post

Monday evenings are usually not productive - I get home, print up practice, go coach my swim team, come home, eat dinner, get ready for Tuesday, and that's pretty much it.

Leftovers being reheated (gently) in the toaster oven have bought me some time tonight to at least post a quick note, however. More to come in the week ahead while Conrad is out of town and I play the grass-widower. So then:

DC is not done - the conference/dining recapping has a bit more work ahead.

The delightful UP weekend needs some further mention.

The dinner on the way up in Kohler needs attention.

A visit to Broadway Cellars with friends/teammates - one of those places I really wanted to like, but...

Sushi with Luke!

And, best of all, a visit from TK this past weekend.

Things ahead, and not in that order. Check back through the week!

weakness

I love food.

No, not a surprise, is it. Nor should it be a surprise that I have a reputation as a food snob. Pricey mushrooms, name brand chocolate. People have me tagged.

So. Bloody. Unfair.

Let me start by saying that I am a VERY good dinner guest. I recall years ago someone I already didn't care for terribly much joking that you could always tell where I sat at dinner parties because it would be near a large potted plant, and remnants of my dinner that I couldn't stomach would have been hidden there. Hmmmm... nope, still don't like him years later.

Anyway, I have my weaknesses. Not that I'll reveal them ALL, but they are there. And so, in DC, I indulged one: fast food burgers and fries. Mmmmm... fries. Crispy, soft on the inside, hot, salty. Oh so good!

I met up with Dan for lunch one day at the recent conference. Limited time and, on the weekend, limited good options nearby. Almost by chance, though, we came upon a Five Guys outlet.

I know we have them in Chicago, but I've never been. Hey, I have food snob cred to keep up - I almost never go get fast food beyond Subway, Sbarro, or burritos in the student centre at lunch. This was my maiden expedition, and Dan offered good advice on ordering.

Ultimately, though, it was a good burger and an embarrassment of fries. A small order, in the cup, then more shoveled into the bag. No, please, don't stop. Heaven!

No dessert - gilding the lily if there were. Just a full belly and... hmmmm... did I go nap afterward? I can't recall.

small vanity post

I keep meaning to catch up on this blogging thing - I think I should rename the blog to Peter Can't Keep Up or something similar - and I do have things to say about the recent DC experience (food!) as well as the holiday weekend up in the UP (food!).

I will, I promise. All good things, etc.

For now, a vanity post. New shirts for the DC conference, a whole slew of them wheeled out. Short sleeves were my theme for the most part, though I wore long sleeve to the Merritt dinner at the Folger.

And you know what? Really, I rocked those shirts, truly. Day in and day out. Fun clothes to brighten up the life of a librarian.

;-)

A number of the shirts have shown up in posts already, but I think this one is best anyway. Admit it, you want it...

8 years of Annual together

Ah Martin...

:-)

In the last post, I raved about Todd. Best friend, roommate at conferences, groomsman to be. In this one, I rave - again, as promised - about a roomie. Martin. 8 Annual conferences together (and 8 Midwinters, plus weekends in Denver, Santa Fe, and Chicago). He deserves a bit of praise. More than that.

Martin and I met back in New Orleans in 2002. So very long ago now, and yet we can still pull up memories (and in-jokes) from back then. We've enjoyed many shared hilarious episodes - the Carlos and Noble dinner comes to mind, but also the Beard Toucher incident in TO and others.

Martin is, however, not just a fun roomie (who also coordinates outfits with us - yay!!!).
He is someone I respect to the utmost professionally. ALA members, vote for him if/when you can for anything. He is more than worthy, and I say that without hesitation.

Conrad and I were happy to be in attendance when Martin and Mark had their commitment ceremony a few years back. We'll gladly steal a few ideas and, in fact, steal Martin outright: he will be our MC at the reception, and we KNOW that will make for a lively, engaging, and fun evening for all.

(Side note: wow, I'm being heavily sentimental lately, I know. Two milestones ahead within days of each other: 40th birthday and 10th anniversary of moving to the US/Chicago. Indulge me a little if you will.)

It was another enjoyable time in DC, then. Good meals out (I was most happy with Zaytinya for the food,

but loved all the time we shared and was especially pleased to be at that dinner in the gorgeous Folger Library), some shopping at H&M, gossiping about ALA members until late at night. The stuff that conferences are made of. Thanks Martin for this 8th great year. Many more to come!

TK/Baltimore

Monday evening, but no coaching, so it feels like Sunday. Back to work tomorrow for a shorter week, and then, come Saturday, Todd arrives.

This, then, is the first of two promised raves about my conference roomies. TK, my best friend.



Oh, gosh, no worries. I think Dale (if ever he reads these) would retch if all I did was list off all the reasons that make Todd an incredible best friend. And I should hate to have to do that to the Silver Fox even if a slightly wicked side of me thinks it would be a bit funny. Instead, let me simply relate how very good it was to get caught up with TK after not seeing him for a few months. Better still, an overnight with him and his partner Michael in Baltimore on my way home from DC.

Things I do like about Todd include his humour, which extends to jokingly coordinating outfits at the RT social in DC. He's also one of the few people who can really tease me effectively and cleverly about my Canadiannness without resorting to that old chestnut "What's that all aboot, eh?" (Want to get on my bad list? Try that one on me some time)

But there are other things. Good conversation over dinner at Clementine (Taco Tuesday!)

and breakfast at Blue Moon Cafe (Captain Crunch coated French toast - mmmmmm).

Walking with Coney and Buster (who will merit their own entry), chatting together with Michael about the wedding planning ahead. Or - and here were some unexpected treats - bringing me along to the YALSA session with teens talking about best fiction titles and the Natalie Merchant performance (ah, that that could have gone on for another hour...). And then there were all his coworkers coming up to me and asking me if I was the one who made cookies...


So a mild rave about Todd - I hate to embarrass him too much with too many compliments (and rest assured, TK, our roomie has an upcoming blog entry, too!). Two last things to mention (short list):

1. Conrad likes him, and when Conrad likes someone, then I KNOW that person is a good person.
2. He'll be up there, with me, my best woman, and my sister, at the wedding (that I now can talk about openly), and that means the world.

It was only a short visit to Baltimore - I was on the way home from conference after all. This weekend will be another whirlwind here in Chicago, and then Conrad and I will have to wait a few months until we get to visit TK and Michael in their home. Already? To borrow from NuShooz: I can't wait.