Plenty

Was there anything I couldn't do today? Well, yes, there is plenty, but that didn't keep me from making the day really count.

Breakfast came and went right before I decided to vacuum my apartment. I didn't feel tired. Bolstered by energy, I wiped down my bathroom, scrubbed the toilet and wiped down my kitchen, too. Oh, yes -- a load of laundry also made it to the washer and dryer! There was lunch, rest and some beading before I took a shower and got ready for my evening out with a crazy friend.

Hurricane Jill came bearing smiles, hugs and a gift I loved the moment I put them on. Feast your eyes on my new animal magnetism below. Isn't it a scream?




On the way to our Greek dinner, Jill shared some wisdom:

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Food and my dinner companion were stellar. We hung out for a little over two hours at the restaurant to enjoy the Greek music playing live in the background as well as the belly dancer that came. It made me envious. I still have a small wound on my belly and can't exercise that way.

We came back to my apartment for some giggles before she made her way back across town. How I've missed her humor and good nature! After she left, I still had some zippy energy so I ended up talking to Tawny briefly on IM to make plans for tomorrow. Kathy called me back to catch up and Angie called me on her way home in Los Angeles.

You don't know how being able to do all the activities today made me happier. It felt like progress. The specter of going through the same recovery period after five more chemo appointments doesn't scare me. At the very least, I know there is getting better each time. One day there will be a getting better for good.

Kisses,
Sarah

Plenty

My Big Fat Greek Dinner

Imaginary calorie counting. What does that mean? It means I ate a smart breakfast, no lunch, and a smart afternoon snack in preparation for the zero calorie Greek dinner I was going to partake in with my friends. Can you see where imagination would have to be employed?

We celebrated Kathy's, her sister Cindi's and Jeff's birthdays at The Acropolis Greek Taverna. It was one of the most fun dinners I have ever had. We seated 11 people which meant that I had to agree to taverna or family style dining for a set price (excluding alcohol) when I made our reservations. They brought us a little bit of everything from appetizer to desserts to share. Our table was covered from one end to the other of the following courses:

1. Greek salad
2. Saganaki (cheese flambe)
3. Spanakopita (spinach pie)
4. Four Mediterranean dips with pita bread (cucumber, eggplant, hummus, salmon)
5. Fried smelt (fish)
6. Calamari (fried squid)
7. Grouper (fish) over veggies
8. Beef and Chicken Kebabs
9. Lamb and Orzo
10. Plates of desserts
11. * and during hedonistic delight in consuming the obscenely delicious food you could order drinks like cola, water, tea, regular coffee and/or specialty coffees included in the price. Most of us had alcohol in addition and the mixed drinks were fabulous! I had a Kamikaze.
    

The atmosphere was definitely for fun. There was live entertainment with a musician, the waitstaff dancing arm in arm like a weaving centipede around the tables at different moments, belly dancing and birthday music sang in a Greek techno dance theme several times. It got loud with the Opa!(s), the clapping during the belly dance and general din of the crowd.

Paper napkins tossed are all over the place by the staff. OPA!


Dan got tagged. There are more pictures of him dancing with the belly dancer, but we won't go there. It was great!


Just another course...


Almost got too full for this...I said almost!



This was worth it all. We were laughing, drinking, eating and more laughing for almost four hours. I would love to do it again!



Oddly enough: My old friend Sam from high school sent me a note from classmates.com this afternoon. I am so pleased he wrote me. He is full blooded Greek. His summers were spent in Greece and he would come back sporting a dark golden color. Sam still lives in Wyoming and is a power lifter. Now if only our other pal John would contact me, we could have our trio back. Through Sam, I learned how to drink ouzo and enjoy my first real Greek food. I remember laughing a lot in class and outside of class when he was around. If he's reading this: I also remember what you and John gave me for my 18th birthday (or was that graduation?). Let's just say it could give quite the buzz.
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My Big Fat Greek Dinner

Foreignly Familiar

Ooh, Vietnamese! I wished the morning away quickly until Ant would drive from the other building and pick up Bridget and me for a new Vietnamese place he's scoped out this week. This would be Ant's second trip to the restaurant this week. He's determined to try his favorite dishes.

Ant had invited Lee along to make a foursome for lunch. Bridget had never had Vietnamese but was adventurous enough to try. She ordered the same Bun Bowl I did of grilled pork, eggroll and veggies on top of rice vermicelli noodles. Ant ordered his food in Vietnamese (he's full Caucasian!) and food that are more closely aligned with a Vietnamese palate instead of an American one. Did I mention the spice he added could be felt by my eyeballs across the table? Whew. Bridget is a convert now and I thoroughly enjoyed my dish which was better than the place Kathy and I had been frequenting. The only disappointment was the Bridget wasn't able to master her chopsticks and had to ask for a fork. I will have to have her practice at work with the extra ones I have there.

On the way home, I caught up with Kristey and solidified our plans to walk on Saturday morning with a new friend of hers I met at her party a couple of weekends ago. Her friend coincidentally works in my building and the friend is hoping we can meet up for lunch a couple of times a week. We'll see. Not sure about the drama she brings. I may have to mention my editing mode...

Kathy picked me up for our Greek dinner. I haven't seen her in a month, but we've IM'ed everyday. Poor thing is going to school at night, loaded with twice the work and trying to interview for a new and less stressful job. Soon we were cheered by the live Greek music, some dancing by the waitstaff and gorgeously delicious food.

Baklava Cheesecake? Really? Zeus had smiled upon us.



Kathy had mentioned she had a small gift for me. Of course, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at all interested. I am the quintessential little girl at her birthday party ready to tear open gift wrap and matching ribbon. Ha! It was a bit overwhelming and I cried in the car. Here, one of the closest friends I have in the world, gave me another thoughtful gift. She said it was to help me out during my workout and she loved the color for me. It matches my phone! The best part? It was preloaded with music and she made sure that David Bowie was on the playlist.



It was nearing 10:30 before Kathy left to go home and check on her boyfriend who had just come home from work. She was getting tired too. Good thing we had coffee with our meal to give her some pep for the drive home. After she left I fired up my laptop to check on e-mail. I saw another friend up past his bedtime and allowed myself to be visible on IM. Within seconds, he was typing and signaled to get my attention. Forty-five minutes later we agreed to say goodbye until the morning. The standing conclusion? All men are 12 years old inside. (Chuckling.) It would be closer to 2pm before I could sleep.
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Foreignly Familiar

Opa!

Been seriously jonesing for Greek food and tonight I was able to share my passion for it with one of my best gal pals, Kathy. She picked me up and we drove not too far at this new place called Acropolis Taverna. The atmosphere was hip yet comfortable, the wait staff helpful and friendly, and the food divine.

Kathy had a heavy day programming for her job at a credit union and her mental escape was "going to the Greek Isles". She was probably looking more forward to the meal than I did.

My day was buried in one of my projects and the looming move from our current building to the new one. Nothing exciting...

Kathy and I started out with Saganaki (or Cheese Flambe). I carefully watched the extinguishing of the flames. Didn't want my hair catching fire thanks to the shellac application of hairspray. (How do you think it stays perfect all day?) I was afraid of turning myself into a demented rendition of a troll doll. It could happen!

Dolmas (stuffed grape leaves) were not on the menu, but I could order some as an appetizer offering which I did and included an appetizer size slice of Spinach Pie. Okay, it came to our table as dinner size! Kathy happily dove into it in between bites of her own entree of Falafel. I brought most of my dinner home. My sights were on finishing the meal with some bites of Baklava that Kathy happily shared. Everything was delicious! This place gets 5 out of 5 AGOL Smooches Rating and gets marked on the approved list.

Spanakopita (Spinach Pie) and Dolmas :


We made a couple of last minute Valentine's stops to get brown sugar for the chocolate chip cookies I was making tonight and Kathy for some candy her boyfriend liked. She dropped me off so I could finish up my Valentine's insanity, erm..preparations.


AGOL Fun Fact: My Favorite Cheese is Feta Cheese! I can eat it plain or drizzled with red wine vinegar, cold pressed olive oil and sprinkling of fresh oregano.
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Opa!