thelma & cuisine

— पांच हजार छह सौ छत्तीस — I met with Laney last night at the Regal Meridian 16 to see a movie we both enjoyed a great deal, called Thelma. I had to use one of the two Costco discount Regal ticket vouchers I had left, because I did not buy a ticket early enough to see it at the AMC 10 in the U District as initially scheduled—because, somehow, by Wednesday evening all three showtimes at that theater were sold out. Last night was the only night I had available to see this movie I really wanted to see, so, Regal it was. Regal actually has by far the most comfortable theater seats in town, with their leather plus and reclining backs. They also offer a loyalty program which honestly sounds better than AMC's. The reason AMC still works better for me is simply their share of the market: they have two multiplexes in Seattle proper (downtown's Pacific Place and U District's AMC 10), whereas Regal has just the one (downtown). I see tons of movies and AMC offers 21 total combined screens, compared to Regal's 16. AMC just gives me more to choose from, and typically anything that might not be available at AMC is apt to be available at one of SIFF Cinema's four Seattle locations, and I am also a SIFF member (which is not a loyalty program but does give me a $5 discount on all tickets). But in light of their seats alone, on the rare occasion that my only option is to see a movie at Regal, I kind of love it. Back when Barbara lived here and went to see most movies with me, she constantly called the Regal Meridian the "ghetto theater," but they didn't have those great seats then. I don't think she'd call it that now. I had foregone cycling to work yesterday—which was how I managed to leave my phone on the bus—because I knew I would likely walk home with Laney after the movie, which was indeed what I did. I thus also walked downtown after work to meet her. We had about 15 minutes to chat before the movie, during which they started playing product commercials that were way too loud before it was even the listed showtime of the movie; and then about 15 minutes on the walk back to her building after the movie. Pride Place has a relatively recent problem of drug users hanging out in their entry pathway, getting in the way of the residents who are all above the age of 55 and littering trash all over. Apparently a resident recently snapped at one of these people to pick up their garbage, and the person responded by beating the shit out of him—like, he was literally hospitalized. It sounded horrible, and according to Laney, the only police that could be found was one over at Cal Anderson Park a couple of blocks away, "and they practically had to drag him over to take the report," because they say there's nothing they can do if there was no weapon involved. Jesus Christ. What purpose does our police department serve, for real? Seriously, fuck the police in this town. This shit makes me so angry. — पांच हजार छह सौ छत्तीस — — पांच हजार छह सौ छत्तीस — I walked the six blocks home from Laney's building, and at Shobhit's request, I made him two sandwiches for when he would later get home from work—and made myself one too. It was delicious. I then wrote my movie review, shortly after which Shobhit got home, and I finally did a few small things to help him with preparing for having Gabby and Nick over for dinner tonight: I peeled and grated two cucumbers; I grated some daikon; I assisted a bit with his blending the sauce for what will ultimately be my all-time favorite Indian dish, Shahi Paneer. I should note, though, that this is very much a "Shobhit version" of that dish, as always, with a lot more differen vegetables added to the tomato cream sauce used as the base for the dish. I can't really find any online recipes that use the same ingredients he tends to, although the final product looks basically the same—and most critically, either way features small squares of paneer added to it, which with the sauce pair fantastically with rice. I love, love, love it. He's also making eggplant squash and a potato & bell pepper dish and an okra (barf) dish, not to mention the requisite samosas. I was actually somewhat surprised, and also delighted, when he told me he'd be including samosas; he doesn't do that for every dinner we host. He'll also be making parathas. He has the day off today so he'll be very busy all day, and I'm actually hoping to get out of here at 3:30 so I can have an extra hour to do some much-needed cleaning and then assist otherwise as needed. — पांच हजार छह सौ छत्तीस — [posted 12:33 pm]

the fruitcake enterprises social review—spring 2024

In the spring of 2024, I engaged in in-person or face-to-face virtual social interaction with the following people on the indicated number of days: 1. Shobhit—25
2. Laney—21
3. Barbara—6
4. Alexia—6
5. Karen—6
6. Jennifer—5
7. Gabriel—5 **
8. Garret—5 **
9. Brian—5 **
10. Matthew—5
11. Tony—5 *
12. Jake—5 *
13. Ryan—5 *
14. Derek—5 *
15. Dad—2
16. Claudia—3 ***
17. Andy—3 **
18. Danielle—1
19. Lea—2 **
20. Valerie—1
21. Ben—3 *
22. Chris—3 *
23. Daniel—3 *
24. Lynn—1
25. Zephyr—1
26. Mandy—2 **
27. Tess—2 **
28. Tracy—1
29. Janine—2 **
30. Ben—2 **
31. Chris—2 *
32. Ryan—2 *
33. Tom—2 *
34. Ulysses—2 *
35. David—2 **
36. Harshal—1
37. Joan—2 **
38. Julie—2 **
39. Ryan—2 **
40. Anna—2 **
41. Josh—2**
42. Brook—2 **
43. Nathan—2 **
44. Gabby—1
45. Amy—1
46. Sherri—1
47. Dylan—1 ***
48. Sean—1 *
49. Steve—1
50. Jeff—1 ****
51. Justine—1 ****
52. Jasper—1 ***
53. Jamie—1 ***
54. Laura—1 ***
55. Lisa—1 ***
56. Rick—1 ***
57. Brendan—1 ****
58. Jennifer—1 ****
59. Peter—1 ****
60. Ry—1
* Regular attendee at Action Movie Night ** Gabriel & Lea wedding party *** Claudia's Memorial Day Weekend barbecue **** Jeff's retirement party Total days in the spring with social interaction: 66 (71.74%, a +12.36 percentage point change from winter)
. . . Quite a list this quarter! It's not often I break 60 people with whom I in some way socialized with. This is up 46% from the 41 people I had last quarter (winter 20204); and up 11% from spring last year (2023). This was why I used more asterisks than usual, because I wanted a visual shorthand to show how the list grew so much. There were at least three standalone events that included many people I don't typically socialize with: Gabriel and Lea's wedding (all things associated with was what took Gabriel to the unusual heights of the top 10 with 5 points, what with three for the weekend on Lopez Island; the Wedding Rehearsal; and the wedding itself—and then the addition of his and Lea's many other friends and family I am not around often); Claudia's Memorial Day Weekend barbecue, where I chatted with several of her other friends, many of whom I had met at at least one of her other parties); and Jeff's going away party here at work. And all of that is not even to mention Action Movie Night, which has added around 10 regulars to this list ever since Shobhit and I also became regulars; and of course, this quarter covering April and May—my Birth Week. This typically brings in several people who are perennial mainstays of my Birth Week but who I don't often socialize with outside of that, from Lynn and Zephyr to Valerie. I would often include Shauna there, but she had to cancel for the first time this year—as did Danielle, who I hung out with all of one single time in the spring, and I still haven't seen her since she joined Barbara and me for a walk at Greenlake Park in late March. I've even tried calling her a couple of times and can't seem to catch her; I don't know what's going on there, if anything. She actually answered the phone once but she was at work; it surprised me she would even answer there. But she quickly told me we should talk soon, and just before we hung up she said, "Hey—hey. I miss you." So there's that. As for the top of the list, as expected, Shobhit nabbed the #1 spot with 25 points, although Laney is unusually close to him at the #2 spot with 21. Had Shobhit not gotten 6 points in one stretch for the trip to Toronto, Laney may very well have beat him. We'll see how things go over the summer! Certainly the most notable individual addition to this list compared to other recent ones is the return Barbara, who, thanks to us flying her out to Seattle for an Easter Weekend visit, gained six points—and the #3 spot! She didn't even rank that high when I went out to visit her in Louisville in spring 2022, when she ranked #7 with 4 points. But, a longer stay is more economically feasible when she's staying at our place and doesn't have to pay for a hotel, in contrast to when I visit her there (though I still do hope to do that again soon). This visit puts her within striking distance of her own Social Review glory days, when she was reliably ranked #2 every single quarter (again, behind Shobhit)—although back then she'd gain more points than even Laney tends to now. For the time being let's get back to spring, and who did what with whom where and when!
Thursday, March 21: with Shobhit, to a wine class at Total Wine & More Friday, March 22: with Alexia, movie night at her place (Morning Glory) Saturday, March 23: with Laney and Alexia, Braeburn Condos theater double feature (Planet of the Apes (1968) and Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)) Saturday, March 23: with Laney, out for coffee/tea (Caffe Vita) Tuesday, March 26: with Karen, lunch over Zoom Wednesday, March 27: with Shobhit and Barbara, dinner and spending the night at our place Thursday, March 28: with Shobhit and Barbara, hanging out then driving Shobhit to the airport Thursday, March 28: with Barbara, to a movie (Problemista) at AMC Seattle 10 Friday, March 29: with Barbara and Danielle, picnic lunch and walking at Green Lake Park Friday, March 29: with Barbara, Seattle Great Wheel Saturday, March 30: with Barbara, Dad and Sherri, dinner and staying the night at Dad and Sherri's house Sunday, March 31: with Barbara, Easter in Olympia Monday, April 1: with Barbara and Laney, brief hangout at Laney's apartment, then Happy Hour at Saint John's Bar & Eatery Wednesday, April 3: with Tony, Jake, Ben, Ryan, Chris B, Chris G, Derek, Daniel, and Tom, Action Movie Night (The Silence of the Lambs) Thursday, April 4: with Steve, Book Club at Cafe Cosmos Friday, April 5: with Gabriel, Garret, Andy and Brian, stay at Sunrise Waterfront Retreat cabin on Lopez Island; lunch at "Taco 'Bout It" taco truck; playing games at a nearby beach; playing poker Saturday, April 6: with Gabriel, Garret, Andy and Brian, stay at Sunrise Waterfront Retreat cabin on Lopez Island; Watmough Bay and climbing Chadwick Hill Trail (with Andy); Shark Reef Sanctuary; pizza dinner at the cabin; drinks on the patio Sunday, April 7: with Gabriel, Garret, Andy and Brian, breakfast at Sunrise Waterfront Retreat cabin on Lopez Island; out for dessert (Lopez Island Creamery, with Andy); Spencer Spit State Park Tuesday, April 9: with Laney, to a movie (Monkey Man) Friday, April 12: with Karen, lunch over Zoom Friday, April 12: with Jennifer and Matthew, dinner and wine at my place Saturday, April 13: with Jennifer and Matthew, out for breakfast (General Porpoise), out for lunch (HoneyHole Sandwiches), and to Neko Cat Cafe Saturday, April 13: with Jennifer, Matthew, and Laney, out for dinner (Fog Room) Sunday, April 14: with Jennifer and Matthew, out for breakfast (Glo's Diner) Tuesday, April 16: with Laney, to a movie (Civil War) Wednesday, April 17: with Tony, Jake, Ryan, Chris G, Chris B, Derek, and Ulysses, Action Movie Night (The Way of the Gun) Thursday, April 18: with Jeff, Claudia, Justine, Brendan, Jennifer B, Peter, and more, Jeff's retirement party Saturday, April 20: with Laney, to a movie (Abigail) Sunday, April 21: with Laney, to a movie (Sasquatch Sunset) Friday, April 26: with Alexia, visiting Harbor Island Saturday, April 27: with Claudia, two-hour visit at her place Saturday, April 27: with Jennifer and Matthew, McMicken Island State Park, out for dinner (County Line Fire Pizza), then staying overnight at their place in Union Sunday, April 28: with Jennifer and Matthew, breakfast at their place (blueberry French toast casserole) Sunday, April 28: with Dad, Anderson Island Bike Ride, Andy's Marine Park, and out for lunch (Anderson Island Cafe) Monday, April 29: with Karen, lunch at the kitchen island at her place in Magnolia Monday, April 29: with Laney, to a movie (Challengers) Tuesday, April 30: with Shobhit, day trip to Lopez Island Wednesday, May 1: with Shobhit, Foster Island and Marsh Island at Washington Park Arboretum Wednesday, May 1: with Shobhit, Tony, Jake, Ben, Ryan, Derek, Sean, Tom, and Ulysses, Action Movie Night at the Braeburn Community Kitchen island Thursday, May 2: with Valerie, Mercer Island picnic lunch at Luther Burbank Park Thursday, May 2: with Gabriel, Lea, Tess, Garret, Brian, Mandy, David, Janine, Ben, Joan, Julie, Ryan, Anna, Josh, Brook, Nathan, and more, Gabriel and Lea's wedding rehearsal at North Fork Farm Friday, May 3: with Shobhit and Laney, walking from her place to 14th & Olive Friday, May 3: with Laney, traffic island cocktails at 14th & Olive, then drinking on the Braeburn Condos rooftop terrace Friday, May 3: with Tracy, Vashon Island evening visit: out for dinner (Lunetta Pizzeria), the Old Bicycle in the Tree, Maury Island Marine Park Saturday, May 4: with Gabriel, Lea, Tess, Garret, Brian, Mandy, David, Janine, Ben, Joan, Julie, Ryan, Anna, Josh, Brook, Nathan, and more, Gabriel and Lea's wedding at North Fork Farm Sunday, May 5: with Lynn and Zephyr, Jetty Island view from Everett waterfront; out for lunch (Scuttlebut Brewing) and out for coffee and tea (Muse Whiskey Bar & Coffee Shop) Sunday, May 5: with Shobhit and Harshal, dinner at our place Tuesday, May 7: with Laney, to a movie (The Fall Guy) Wednesday, May 8: with Shobhit, out for dessert and a slice of pizza (R+M Dessert Bar, Hot Mama's Pizza) Thursday, May 9: with Shobhit, out for a walk to Volunteer Park and back Friday, May 10: with Karen, lunch over Zoom Friday, May 10: with Shobhit, Ry, and more, MLK Labor Oscars at Seattle Convention Center Summit building Saturday, May 11: with Laney and Alexia, Braeburn Condos Double Feature (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes) Sunday, May 12: with Shobhit, out for a walk to Pioner Square and up the Seattle Waterfront Monday, May 13: with Shobhit and Laney, to a movie (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes) Tuesday, May 14: with Karen, to a movie (The Ride Ahead) Wednesday, May 15: with Shobhit, Tony, Jake, Ryan, Chris, Derek, Daniel, and two new guys, Action Movie Night (Monkey Man) Saturday, May 18: with Laney, Happy Hour at Olympia Pizza & Spaghetti House III Sunday, May 19: with Shobhit, out for breakfast (The French Guys) Tuesday, May 21: with Laney, to a movie (Back to Black) Friday, May 24: with Karen, Lunch over Zoom Friday, May 24: with Shobhit and Laney, to a movie (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga) Saturday, May 25: with Claudia, Dylan, Jasper, Jamie, Laura, Lisa, Rick, and more, barbecue at Claudia's house Sunday, May 26: with Shobhit, out for breakfast (Volunteer Park Cafe) Monday, May 27: with Laney, to a movie (Babes) Monday, May 27: with Shobhit and Laney, Happy Hour at DeLuxe Bar and Grill Tuesday, May 28: with Laney, to a movie (IF) Wednesday, May 29: with Tony, Jake, Ben, Ryan, Chris G, Derek, and Daniel, Action Movie Night (Possessor) Saturday, June 1: with Laney, Seattle Pride in the Park 2024 Sunday, June 2: with Shobhit, out for a walk to Volunteer Park Thursday, June 6: with Laney, Seattle Pride Art Walk in Pioneer Square Friday, June 7: with Alexia, movie night at my place (Inside Out) Saturday, June 8: with Laney and Alexia, Happy Hour at La Cocina Oaxaqueña Sunday, June 9: with Shobhit, out for a walk around Cal Anderson Park & the Pike Pine Corridor Tuesday, June 11: with Shobhit, flying to Toronto Wednesday, June 12: with Shobhit, touring the Legislative Assembly of Ontario; up the CN Tower; out for a walk in Church-Wellesley Village Thursday, June 13: with Shobhit, day trip to Niagara Falls: Niagara City Cruise; walking across the Rainbow Bridge to New York; walking Goat and other islands in the Niagara River; Cave of the Winds Friday, June 14: with Shobhit, anniversary in Toronto: visiting Toronto Reference Library; Afternoon Tea at the Shangri-La Toronto Saturday, June 15: with Shobhit, Sunbathing at Hanlan's Point, Toronto Islands Sunday, June 16: with Shobhit, brunches at Egg Club and  Loaded Pierogi in Church-Wellesley Village; flying home from Toronto Wednesday, June 19: with Gabby and Amy, out for lunch (Moto Pizza) Thursday, June 20: with Laney, to a movie (Thelma)