Doin the bull dance, feelin the flow.. workin it. workin it.

Yesterday was my birthday.  It was a good one.  Nothing super special about it, just a good day.   My Parents gave me a $50 gift card for best buy towards my laptop I'm saving for.  My Mom also got me a grey jersey cotton dress from target because my older son told her that he wanted to get me a beautiful dress for a birthday surprise. He "can't WAIT" for me to wear it, and my heart swells with pride over what a sweet boy he is turning out to be.  He is always thoughtful of the people he loves. 

I asked my parents to watch the boys so that I could go to the Japanese restaurant down the street that I've been wanting to try.  At first my Mom started to do that thing she does where she cocks her head and uses the pity tone on me.  I assured her that going out to dinner by myself was about the best birthday present I could ask for, and I think she finally believed me.  It's true, I like going out to eat by myself.  Just some quiet alone time with delicious food.  When you eat out with others, I think it's inevitable that you compromise on at least one aspect of the meal.  Whether it's choosing the restaurant, or the appetizers, whether or not to share, or get your own, etc.  When you go by yourself, you know you're getting exactly what you want from start to finish.  The food was fantastic and beautiful. 

I started with a white tuna sashimi app with shaved truffles and drizzled with a truffle infused soy sauce. Unbelievable. The app was my favorite part of the meal.  Then I had a couple of assorted pieces of sashimi that the waitress recommended.  Finally I had a miso glazed Chilean sea bass with sweet corn, eggplant, asparagus and a black bean puree.  To drink, I had sparkling sake. I never tried sake before, and was pleasantly surprised at how mild the sparkling variety was.

As I was drinking my coffee, a couple was seated next to me.  They were obviously regulars, based on the friendly welcome they received from the staff.  As the woman sat, her husband told the waitress that it was his wife's birthday.  I turned and wished her a happy birthday and told them it was mine too.  They insisted to the waitress that I was going to join them for a drink before I left.  For a second, I protested, but they were so friendly, and insistent, that I agreed to sit with them for a glass of wine.  What a nice couple.  Friendly and outgoing, and made me feel right at ease. This is very unlike me.  I am normally pretty shy and nervous with new people, but they were just great people with a great energy about them.  I wound up sitting and chatting with them for over an hour.  After it was all said and done, I exchanged numbers with the woman, and left feeling like I just had a great birthday. 

                                             White Tuna Appetizer

                                            
                                               Chilean Seabass entree

                                             Sparkling Sake

Today, I put the boys in the jogging stroller and jogged up the block to the beach.  Sometimes I forget that I live on an island and am surrounded by beaches.  I don't swim in even the most beautifully clean beaches, let alone the Staten Island waters.  But that doesn't take away from the beauty and serenity that is the beach.  We walked and looked for rocks and shells and sea glass.  It was nice. The boys were happy, I was relaxed.  I've had a pretty good run of it the past few days.

                                               Our Beach Treasures