Cinema Al Fresco

We held our first “Cinema al Fresco” movie night at 484 this weekend. The movie was Rififi, which was cutting edge in 1955, but a little meh in 2007. A rainstorm appeared in the last minute, but we were able to ride it out under the umbrella.

Progressive Pain

Progressive is living up to their name. The insurance company hasn’t assessed liability after a week, so I went down to the 78th precinct today and got a copy of the police report, which I scanned and emailed to one of the representatives. Since there were several cars involved in the accident, there are three reps and each of them is pointing his/her finger at another colleague — it’s impossible to know who’s responsible for dealing with my claim. What a pain.

Accident (update)

Car damage update… I found out from Costi yesterday that the rack was “cracked”. No wonder it was steering funny. Well this is a problem because it’s impossible to get new racks… they’ll get a reman from VW or something. The saga continues.

Grass Update (again)

IMG_1077.JPGIt’s been a while since you’ve had a lawn update, so here you go! There are patches that are beginning to fade, but overall it seems to be faring pretty well. It seems like it’s still very fragile (e.g. when I rake it, clumps come out)… I’m not sure when it becomes “hearty”. Next year?

A Great Dinner

IMG_1015.JPGLast night we had a slow food feast to celebrate V’s last days in America. While cooking we snacked on some romano and membrillo (quince paste). For an appetizer, M made sea scallops with beurre blanc sauce and red pepper shrimp served on mango and avocado slices. This was followed by V’s saffron risotto (made with Jiloca saffron and marrow instead of butter). Following the risotto, we had pork tenderloin made by C, which was brined for one day and coated in a dry rub for another. It was grilled and served with a wedge of iceberg and a blue cheese dressing. The wine, Selvapiana Fornace, was made by J. The veal, chicken, onions and carrots in V’s risotto stock were used to make a bollito. For dessert we had preserved figs served with a generous slice of pecorino romano. You’ll notice that none of these dishes has been adorned with any adjectives — had I started using them I would have run out of superlatives. My contribution? I lit the grill, took pictures, and ate.

Time for the Mower

The sweet smell of mowed grassThe sweet smell of freshly mowed grass! I took the trusty (rusty) push mower to the new lawn last night. Of course, I got home today and some critter had been digging in it! OK, it’s officially a lawn (just don’t walk on it)!

Before and After (Backyard)

151-5160_IMG.JPGLawn on 5/19/07I provide the following before and after pictures for your consideration. The former was taken on April 4, 2004, the latter was taken today, May 19, 2007. Next week, with its first cutting, the grass will officially become a lawn.

Protect the Grass

covered yardHere’s the lawn all covered over. It’s going to be hot on Tuesday so hopefully the grass won’t burn out underneath that black cloth. The helicopters are coming fast and furious.

Take a look at a digest of all the lawn-related posts so far.