Barefoot In The Kitchen

So that's actually a total lie, I was wearing flip flops while I cooked last night. I finally got around to trying out Trader Joe's orange chicken (frozen food aisle). I put the frozen chicken in the oven and then waited for it to cool after it was cooked. I stored it in a plastic container in the fridge, then poured the sauce over right before I microwaved it for lunch today. Gotta say, pretty damn tasty and the sauce was not as thick/gooey/syrupy as many Chinese places around here. The sauce was also not super spicy, which is a plus in my book.

In other news, egg wash + not listening for the oven timer = sourdough loaf BURN. Bet it still tastes damn good.

Update: the sourdough was quite delicious, in fact; shown here with rose petal jelly purchased in Montreal

A Public Service Announcement

So every time I leave the city, it is always a huge shock to my system to come back and get on the subway. The people! There are so many of them! And they’re touching me!!! EEEEWWWW. Oh, and they’re fucking RUDE. Dude today got extra super bonus points – in addition to engaging in one of my biggest pet peeves, pushing your way in to the car while people are still trying to walk out, he also managed to step on my foot. Oh wait, there’s more! Not only did he step on me, he broke my shoe. Dear AZgirly, welcome home! Love, NYC.

Au Canada

So in the true spirit of preparedness, I noticed AFTER arriving in Canadia that I had forgotten to charge the camera battery. Hence, a total of four usable photos. Well done, me. The first three are large pretty buildings in the old section of the city near the port. The last is a fantastic rock/blues band called Junkyard Dogs – their name and the song lyrics were the only parts of the show in English, so that was entertaining for us. My French is trés rusty, as it turns out. Fortunately, nearly everyone spoke English. I highly recommend the Atwater farmers’ market; loads of fabulous homemade jams & jellies, fresh fruit, a stunning array of cheeses & gorgeous cases of specialty meats/poultry, plants galore, and ZOMG the mushrooms!!! One place had about a gajillion varieties. They were all just so PRETTY!!! It killed me not to have a cooler on hand. I settled for a bag of assorted dried fancy mushrooms & head of PINK(!!!) garlic.

Also, protip:  if the menu only specifies steak with red sauce, ASK if it is a red WINE sauce.  I learned this the hard way.  "Filet mignon" + canneberges = EWEWEW.

Christening Gown of DOOM

So my cousin is having another bebe (Irish twins, oh yeah!) and I am knitting her a christening gown. It is a super complicated but gorgeous lace pattern, which I’m making in a silk/alpaca yarn that is about the consistency of thread. THREAD, people! This shit is haaaarrrrddd. This is my current progress - good thing Miss Sarah isn't due to arrive til almost August!

MAAAAHHHHH

Fitting in partying with the locals

A fond farewell to paradise

Just a quick note to wrap up - I was truly shocked at the way Belize City was portrayed to me by guidebooks, tourists, and even locals.  I've lived in NYC for almost eight years now.  I spent my first six months in the city living in Harlem.  So when I read and was told that Belize City was such a "dangerous" place and that I shouldn't go out after dark, I rolled my eyes.  On my way out of the country, I stayed over for a night in a hostel on the outskirts of the downtown area.  When I checked in, I was told that if I needed a ride anywhere, someone from the staff would be happy to drive me.  After the luxury of a(n INDOOR) shower and an air conditioned nap, I put on some clean clothes and ventured back to the front desk to ask for a lift.  I wanted to go downtown, enjoy a beer or two, have a nice dinner at one of the restaurants I had read about, and then call it an early night.  The hostel manager looked absolutely appalled when I told him of my intentions.  Ohnono, you don't want to go out now, not downtown, at this hour?  By yourself?  Despite his protestations, and due to the fact that it was maybe 4:30pm, I told him I would chance it.

I tried the place I had been interested in, but all the seating was outdoors and the AC was just too tempting at that point, so I meandered across the street to one of the big hotels (Hyatt maybe?).  The bar was frosty cold, so I found a spot and got comfortable.  I soon struck up a conversation with two friendly gentlemen who were colleagues, one American, one Belizean.  I eventually asked if they had any suggestions about where in the small downtown area would be the best place to have dinner, and they graciously invited me to join their group at a local restaurant on the water.  We had a delicious and very jovial dinner with the large group, and then proceeded to make our way to a small dance club and bar.  Everyone I encountered was nothing but polite and friendly - certainly more than I can say for most such establishments in my adopted home city.  Needless to say, I had a wonderful night, and I would advise anyone visiting Belize City to of course be aware of your surroundings, but also don't be afraid to explore; you just might enjoy it!

Passing notes. Underwater.

I did not realize that it was possible to revert to the 6th grade without speaking, but that's why they made dive slates, I guess.  Spent quite a bit of my diving time passing notes back & forth with the ever-so-charming divemaster, who also enjoyed practical jokes such as swimming up above me, then suddenly waving his hands in front of my mask, followed by much (mimed) pointing and laughing.   Then there was the empty lobster shell utilized as a finger puppet, which he reached into a giant barrel sponge one day and then SURPRISE popped right in my face.  That was amusing, but I had steeled myself for another such attack a few minutes later.  I was taken aback when the barrel sponge revealed not another lobster head peering at me, but instead the middle finger.  I laughed so hard I spit out my regulator, swallowed about a lungful of seawater, and had half the group approaching me to see why I was attempting to avoid choking to death.  I had a hard time collecting my wits for the rest of the dive.  As soon as we surfaced and made it into the boat, I started cracking up and promptly punched Mr. Funny Guy.

He managed to redeem himself during my last dive at Glover's, though.  Despite the fact that the fishermen's nightly cleaning ritual at the end of the dock attracted nurse sharks & stingrays by the dozen, I had been whining for two weeks that I had yet to see a shark while underwater.  The guys badgered me to try out the shark cage attached to the dock, but the sun was so low in the sky at that point in the day that the underwater lighting was rather dismal, even with the flash on my camera.

So on the penultimate day of my atoll adventure, I scoffed when the divemaster waved excitedly at me and showed the hand signal for shark.  I nodded at him, shrugging it off as more good-natured teasing.  He continued to wave me over in a very perturbed fashion.  I shuddered at what surprise lay in store, but dutifully swam in his direction.  All of a sudden, in a flash of sand and a flip of grey, a nurse shark flounced off, clearly annoyed at having his afternoon nap disturbed.  If it's possible to smile through your reg, I certainly did that day.  Sadly, I wasn't quick enough for photos.

The other remarkable diving event of this week was a big loggerhead turtle swimming near our group who headed up to the surface for air at the same time we did - very cool to watch.