Carpe Diem, Carpe Pellegrino

Other than the rockin' weather here in NYC, there are few other developments on which I need to expound. However, that doesn't mean that a) the weather doesn't merit some acknowledgement, b) that nothing's been going on, or c) that I would fail to do my job in telling you what has been happening in the land of Boogie.

So, without further ado (although there really wasn't prior ado, so I'm not really sure if any ado is worth a to-do)...

As indicated above (and at any weather site in which New York City weather is described in any particular level of detail), this weekend, thus far, has been wonderful weather-wise. It's the kind of weekend you go take a walk and light up a cigar and enjoy not having to do anything but exist under the sun. I am heading out in a few minutes thusly, as I did some errands and some work this AM (more on this later). It's nice because I live close enough to the water to go hang out nearby and absorb the wind, the serenity and the sunshine without too much effort. The one negative, of course, is the post-winter spandex -- I've said it before and I'll say it again: there should be a law (yeah, I know -- sort of hypocritical on my part) that one needs to qualify to wear spandex in public. This not only applies to women, by the way -- the few guys that think I want an up-close-and-personal view of the outline of their sacks are way, way off. I don't. I don't need to know what your religious proclivities are, so keep the jewels off the boardwalk and we'll all be better off. And women who wear spandex should be required to apply for a license to do so; part of the licensing application process should include having a photograph of said applicant's ass, in said applicant's choice of spandex, shared among her friends. If any of them remark in this vein -- "Jesus, whoever that is has a huge ass, what're they doing in spandex?" -- said license will be denied. Sorry for the specific, harsh outset (especially on such a lovely day); it's just that if you are going to use spandex to show off not-so-goodies and ruin my day in the process, expect repercussions.

In returning back to non-spandex matters, I spent this AM doing some around-the-house work cleaning, organizing and walking around semi-nude, unshowered and unkempt. Then I high-tailed it into the shower and then got ready for a shitload of work. By 12:30 everything was wrapped up and I got out of the house soon after, met a friend and she and I headed to Costco on Roosevelt Island. I haven't been to a Costco -- ever -- though I have gone to a few other warehouse clubs in Northern NJ. Aside from the variety of people filtering through a huge warehouse space filled with anything that can be legally marketed in this country, I was amazed. I bought a variety of stuff: a 4-liter bottle of A-1 Steak Sauce; a 75-pack of Charmin (wink wink) that virtually assures me I'll need a new toilet before I need more toilet paper; a case each of Pellegrino and Diet Coke; a two-pack of Ceasar Dressing (in a convenient, 1/4-gallon jug size); a block (actually, a half-pound) of parmiagiano reggiano cheese; a bottle of garlic pesto sauce; a bottle of Advil; a 4-pack of Ziploc freezer bags; some socks -- for dress emergencies, o' course -- and a combo-package of two fans (one large/floor model and one small one). I also picked up a copy of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, and was going to buy mah woman a combo of Duran Duran's Greatest Hits on CD and DVD, but the package I had picked up, I noticed later, had a large crack down the middle, and I was concerned that one of or both discs might be damaged as well, so that went back on the shelf. I picked her up a few goodies elsewhere anyway, so she'll have to wait another day for the cracked Duran Duran combo ;-)

My friend purchased less chazerai than I did; she ended up getting the same fan combo pack, and bought water and some other stuff. All told we barely managed to fit everything into her car, but once we did we absconded ASAP from the Costco parking lot (which was as hazardous to navigate as the inside of the store itself).

I actually was pretty impressed with the variety and the sheer volume of stuff they sell in that place. I was also impressed with the quality of some of their food products; they had some good stuff floating around their meat case, and the prices are a lot better than those I've seen in NYC markets. And aside from Eli's, which is right near me, I think the quality of their stuff is as good if not better than what I've seen here (except for Eli's, which, I believe, has the best meat, fish and produce of any market in the City, Dean & Deluca/Gourmet Garage/Zabar's/Citarella be damned).

The only negative, of course, is that you have to buy in bulk, so unless you have the space to store a jug of salsa and will consume the perishable food items (in these huge quantities), you'll wind up tossing some of the goodies in the trash (which sort of defeats the purpose of saving money in the first place). But I liked the fact that they have everything and anything -- rubber gloves (a 24-pack), 1000-count packages of Dixie Cold Cups, and Pink Floyd CD's -- all under one roof.

Oh, the other negative, incidentally, is that the people in that place seem to be devoid of anything remotely resembling common sense when it comes to navigating with a shopping cart. I actually bumped into three or four peoples' carts because they were off drooling over the 96-pack of adult diapers or the Dr. Scholl's Gift Set section. But overall, it was a mesmerizing experience, one which I will repeat again the next time I have the urge to fill my hot tub with mango-corn chutney :-) In all seriousness, I might just have to rent another apartment to make sure I have room to store all my purchases, and get friends to come over and imbibe, ingest and enjoy the splendors of shopping for 40 :-)

The major development on the horizon, if the above was not sufficient, is the looming visit of my other half to NYC this coming weekend. She and I have have been working so hard that neither of us has had time to kick back and spend time with the other, so now that we've both got a quasi-respite in our schedules, we'll finally be able to spend four or five days of what will amount to be a vacation. Each time we're together, no matter where or when or what we're doing, I just find my life to be just right, and she manages to recharge, inspire and invigorate me in ways I never imagined possible. It doesn't have the potency of, say, a drum of Costco Anti-Freeze, mind you...but whatever she's got is still very powerful stuff :-)

So knowing she'll be here soon, the sun shining and the breeze cutting through my hair reminds me I have no right to complain -- ever.

And the fact that I haven't mentioned how incredibly well my father is doing here -- or even thought to worry or felt those pangs of concern about his well-being in a long, long while -- just ices a cake that I don't ever want to finish.

I'm going to go enjoy some fresh air...or, in its absence, go take a walk around my 'hood and enjoy myself, see the sights, hear the sounds, and take it all in. If there's anything to report (and when isn't there?) I'll let you know.