On the Many Uses of Potatoes

This past weekend Wabes and I did two Chanukkah dinners. The first night we planned a dinner alone; I was at work late and thought Wabes should have a trial run on Chanukkah (her first since I moved in). We also needed to rehearse the potato latke-making procedure.

On my way home from worked I quickly shopped for a cheap menorah since, due to all the recent moving, I can't find mine (note to upstate sis who gifted me that nice menorah: it's with the parents or in storage down the street - I have not lost it). The shops, however, had no "cheap" menorahs (I wasn't looking for a replacement - just a temporary) and anything in the reasonable range was big and ceramic. So I went with an old mainstay from childhood: the potato menorah.



The following evening we had guest, including family (one Uncle), friends from work, and friends from college. Along with the latkes, Wabes made her first brisket, which was deemed a success!

As with all our dinner parties, we polished off way too many bottles of wine (though not a record, we now have six empties) and stayed up too late listening to music, drinking, and (in what may turn into a new tradition) playing cards. Uncle thought the potato was a clever touch. But this afternoon he stopped by the neighborhood with a small, tasteful metal menorah, putting the tuber out of its misery.

Additional Reading: For a guest's take on the dinner click here.

More Lights

As a rather cynical Jewish New Yorker I really shouldn't be so into the "Holiday" lights. But I really like what Columbia does to what they call "College Walk" (essentially a path through the middle of the quad). A little ridiculous: yes. A waste of energy: probably. But it's still nice to look at when one comes out of the subway and into the cold after a long day at work.

Half a Tree and a Full Crowd

Here's the view from the office window. Somewhat obstructed, but the during the lighting, Officemate Benjamin filled his computer screen with the Tree Cam (which, by the way, is several minutes behind real time - the online tree lit up after the one outside our window). Wabes dropped by when they first threw the switch, though this photo was taken one evening the following week.

The crowds around the tree are pretty amazing - from my window you can see constant flashbulbs. And on weekends it's even worse. Tourist buses park in front of our building and shoppers crowd the sidewalks. It's a little much, though I'm generally entertained by the spectacle.

"Upstate" Thanksgiving

Though a little late in coming, I feel I should report on the Thanksgiving travels - if only because they directly relate to the name of this site.

Wabes and I headed to Albany for the weekend for a Kolzman family gathering at the Uncle's new home. The plan began with the Uncle saying "we just moved to Albany which is rather central - so the Grandparents and everyone who can make it should come have Thanksgiving here" to "everyone and their son/daughter/mother/boyfriend (that last one being the most important) will be coming on Thursday." Our small family gathering became a dinner for 30!

Without saying too much about the family, it was a great weekend; one of those rare occasions where everyone gets to spend time with one another but there's no wedding/bar mitzvah/funeral. We all cooked, ate, played cards, and even (to my little cousin's delight) agreed to a game of 3-on-3 basketball. (Though, as if to confirm stereotypes, we were not the most athletic bunch...)

The photos below capture the train ride back. The first is the Hudson ("Upstate"). The second, represent our entry into "Downstate" New York. I use to take the same route when I'd visit family as a kid. I always liked the final stretch through the Hudson River Valley, but back then I always got off before the George Washington Bridge.

"All work... no blog" or "Blog posts I've thought about but failed to write"

So the job at the Firm has finally taken off in earnest and I'm generally there past 10:00 each night (if not later). There's always a lot to get done and even when there are no immediate deadlines it makes sense to get as much done as possible each day. That way when a deadline does suddenly arise out of nowhere, working till 4:00 am on Project A doesn't completely screw up Project B.

But none of this should be interpreted as a complaint - well not today at least (I made it home by 9:00). It's a good job, helps pay down the loans, and provides some relatively interesting work. Sometimes, I don't even mind the partners ripping my memos apart - it's a very cliche law firm experience.

Anyway, blogs I've thought about but failed to write include: listening to live music in Brooklyn; enjoying Thanksgiving upstate; and the watching the Rockefeller Christmas Tree Lighting from my office window (we couldn't see the whole tree but we could make out enough of it). Depending on the hours, maybe I'll post some of them soon...