I am also currently in desperation over what to do for mom for mother's day. I'd go down to CT, or invite her up here (the local museum is having a nice-sounding brunch) but I have to finish up my final exam for class, which involves 2 ~5-page essays. My sister is sending flowers, and I'd like to send her something else. Blah. I feel terrible that I can't be with her. Anyway.

This has been a nice weekend so far. Friday, Tom and I celebrated Cinco de Mayo/ 4 years since he kissed me and won my heart by meeting at the Cambridge Brewing Company, a local brewpub which was coincidentally celebrating their 17 year anniversary with SEVENTEEN different brews. Also, NERAX is this weekend, so beer geeks a-plenty in town. Then we went to Oleanna, where... oh, my. I'll be dining on those memories for weeks.

Yesterday, we slept in and went to a local legend of a breakfast place, Red's Sandwich Shop, and then strolled over to the new "Painting Summer in New England" exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum, a museum that totally just effing ROCKS. Then we went to the Salem beerworks and had a large glass of their anniversary brew, the Essex Broadside, a double ESB of maximum yumminess.

Then, food shopping. We enjoyed the samples of pate and spanish cheese (names escape me now) so much that we decided to get that for dinner, along with some antipasto and a warm baguette. So we nibbled on that watching Friday's creeeeeeeeeeepy Dr. Who and drank some Gritty McDuff's Best Bitter beer.

After lounging about a bit, we went to Bed Bath and Beyond to redeem a $100 gift card won through accumulating points on our Citi card, and since it's basically "bonus" money, we used it for fun stuff we wouldn't normally get... so it was a fun shopping trip on a Saturday night.

Today it looks to be a beautiful day, and we have no plans except to grill burgers for lunch and butterfly and grill a whole chicken with tandoori spices for dinner. We also bought some fiddleheads to cook up for dinner as well.

This weekend in Somerville was Open Studios as well as NERAX. We decided not to go to either because I didn't want to spend the weekend remembering how cool Somerville is and getting sad about not being there... I wanted us to enjoy our new hometown!

Blah. I feel terrible that I can't be with her.

I'd let her know that. Send her a fancy invitation for a get together on a better date and call it Nora's Mother's Day now scheduled at a new date and time.

Laura has a great idea.

And/or you could send her a card saying you'll send her flowers the week after Mother's Day so she has flowerf for TWO weeks (since nobody likes the part where the boquet dies).

My mother makes it so easy for me. Every year I take her out for a nice brunch or lunch and then we go garden shopping and I buy her a plant or two.

Just dropping in to say hello. It seems like I've been to busy to even read this week, let alone post. Joe is gone for the week but Ellie and I are leaving on Tuesday to see my parents for a week. Anyway, hello to everyone!

Hello, Stephanie! I hope you enjoy your stay with the 'rents.

sj, that sounds like a really nice idea for Mother's Day. I may have to suggest it to my daughter. :) She seems to have trouble sometimes deciding what to get me and that would be something that would make us both happy.

From Gillian Anderson interview

No. I show up. That's one thing I do.

There have been some well known performers who have destroyed their careers because this was not true of them. Gillian sounds like an absolute love. I mean aside from everything else, like such a nice person. Of course you can't ever tell with someone you have not met (or even always with someone you have); but she obviously won the interviewers heart.

t gronks into thread

Didn't know gronk was a verb, didja? Well it is, and that is what I am doing right now: gronking.

Anyone around? I need an excuse to not shower, get dressed, and be productive.

Huh. According to this ebay auction, there used to be Cadillac clothing boutiques in the dealerships. I'm too lazy to find out if it's true though.

I am. I'm going to watch Ultraviolet and drink coffee, but I'm here for a few,

Um, suggest some recent movies I need to watch.