Good morning :-)
I started mine off with pizza for breakfast on Friday morning. I generally do not do a lot of administrative work after Friday, so I caught up on my emails and dedicated the rest of my day to reading. I am so glad that I finally finished Drown by Junot Diaz! It’s an amazing collection of short stories that, taken together, offer perspective on the trauma and hope that the experience of immigrating dually encompasses. The last story, also the longest, left me feeling so conflicted and sentimental.
I had an amazing Saturday date that extended from the early afternoon into Sunday morning. He brought the cutest gifts: a bottle of Saint-Emilion Grand Cru wine and a bag of the finest grits from Mississippi. Before we set out on our first activity, we got swept up in a soccer lesson (for me) and the excitement of a penalty kick finish in the Croatia vs. Russia game! Even though my bracket has been fully busted, I still have kept up with the World Cup Finals. I hope we see France and Croatia compete in the finals!
We did an abbreviated walk through of the International Spy Museum, followed by the most fun activity I’ve done in a while now - a James Bond themed Escape Room! OMG! I was worried at first about whether or not it would be too difficult to be appropriate for a date, but it was so fun... Even though our group did not make it out. LOL!
Our reservations for dinner were at Komi, ranked as 2018’s second best restaurant in D.C. by Washingtonian Magazine. I can honestly say it is a well deserved title after the fabulous dinner and wine pairing that we enjoyed there! The ambiance in the restaurant sets the tone for a relaxing, unrushed dinner. Everything in Komi, from the staff to the interior’s conservative furnishings, allows the food to take center stage. Dinner is served, and enjoyed, at a leisurely pace - our experience was nearly 3 hours with over a dozen courses that are tonic for the soul and stimulating for the senses. The wine pairing is an outstanding journey of discovery all on its own, but a perfect complement to each dish. There was a crazy good rosé, and a stellar red wine in the collection that we were served. A simplified recap of the dishes that stood out: grilled watermelon, foie gras, grilled amberjack fish. The most breathtaking and awe inspiring dish was a slow roasted goat shoulder with pita bread that fell off the bone with little negotiation. Amazing. Absolutely a must-visit place if you are a foodie!
Our adrenaline, food, wine euphoria were all consummated in more private quarters… and the only proper way to follow up on such an amazing date is to spend the next day in quiet reverie. Which is exactly how I spent my Sunday :-)
I hope you also had a great weekend and that you are have a great start to your week today. Monday can be hard, but I’ve set out on a quest to Make Monday’s Great Again by using a few of the tips from an article I recently stumbled across. I’ve committed to starting my (Mon)days with meditation, a skill I’m trying to learn, and planning fun things for the week.
- It's NATO week. WSJ on what to expect.
- This weekend, divers made some serious headway in rescuing 4 of the group of 13 trapped in the Thai cave. BBC details the challenges that rescuers have to work through right now.
- Dirty talk, done wrong.
- Mark Zuckerberg basically sold us all out to become the 3rd richest person in the world. Over Warren Buffet.
- This Buzzfeed comic about Facebook is still funny, though.
- This bartender put together a list of the best martinis in the whole, wide, world! A few are in NYC. We should totally check them out!
- Can someone bring Zaxby's to D.C. soon, considering?
- I loved John Wooden's discussion on the difference between winning and succeeding.
- Playboy sums it up right: "Watching porn to educate oneself on sex is no different from watching Fast & Furious to learn how to drive."
- Check out Canela with the gold chain, doe.