we’re too old for this (stuff)

Andrew and I went downtown last night for a concert by the harbor, followed by a little grown-up bar-hopping with friends. Actually, in all honesty, Andrew and I hopped just once; we said our goodbyes at 1 a.m. while our compatriots walked to the next watering hole.

Like I said, we’re too old for this stuff.

But, enough with the negative talk; we had a great time out and were both surprised at how late we made it before deciding to head home, mostly to rescue the dog, who’d been left alone since 6 p.m.

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals opened the show and the weather could not be beat; not too hot, not too sunny and altogether quite pleasant. Summer here is so livable.

I broke out my new green shorts–love them! Kudos to Andrew for all my colorful birthday clothes this year 🙂

The headliner was the Sam Roberts Band, from Canada.

I’d never heard of either group before, but they’re both from near here (Grace Potter is from Vermont), which was neat. Apparently the Buffalo/Montreal/Toronto area is big for up-and-coming bands–I had no idea! And did you know the Goo Goo Dolls are from Buffalo? They are, potentially, one of my favorite bands of all time. (That’s not saying much since I barely know any of their songs, except their hits, and am an all-around non-music person.) But I love their sound; it’s not distinct like other genres (Country), nor is it “catchy” like so many of the boy bands and things on the radio. The Goo Goo Dolls are timeless.

As the show wrapped up we headed out, first to Founding Fathers, a local “smart-people” bar (that’s what I call it) that features free popcorn and make-your-own nachos, as well as an extensive selection of microbrews. And oh by the way–it’s decorated with presidents and flags and other “americana” memorabilia. And the well-dressed older gentleman behind the counter? He owns the place. And it attracts a bunch of preppy college kids and middle-aged men in suits; I can feel comfortable in a place like that. We have yet to go to their monthly trivia night, but intend to as soon as our schedule allows…

After a drink there we all walked to Laughlin’s, which is apparently an uber-fancy restaurant during the day, and a less-swanky bar at night. Really, it was relatively unimpressive, but we had plenty of room to rest our tired feet and just chat.

It was en route to the next establishment that Andrew and I said our adieus; I had a gym class in a mere seven hours!

By the time the lights went off at home, it was pushing 2:30 a.m. Again, we are TOO OLD for this kinda stuff. And when Hadrian and Andrew needed potty breaks at 7:30 a.m., my eyes took a little more effort to open than usual, but overall I felt quite good despite our late night. (I credit my good drinking habits–fewer than one drink per hour–for me–and LOTS of water before, during and after. Works every time.)

I did, in fact, make it to the punk rope class at the Y, but just barely.

i made monkey bread!

Now that’s something I haven’t made in, oh, since we lived in our first APARTMENT in Ohio… Guess I’m not a big fan, huh? I think it’s because my mom’s monkey bread always came out a little burned and the pieces (except for those few cherished center ones) came out really hard and crunchy. (Andrew said the same thing, so it must be normal.)

Anyway, last week Andrew asked–no, begged–for monkey bread and I said I’d see what I could do.

While I love to make bread, I don’t normally get up so early that I would have dough already risen and ready to go into the oven before he even leaves for work, at least not these days. So, I cheated and bought the frozen bread dough at Tops. (Apparently you can use canned biscuits for an even quicker version.)

Forgive the picture. Andrew snapped it quickly to send to his sisters (what a nice brother, bragging to them that he got monkey bread and they didn’t…) and I hadn’t anticipated blogging about our breakfast. Not sure why the dough looks yellow… Reason number 506 that I can’t WAIT for our new house: LOADS of natural light!

Anyway, I hadn’t a clue how long it would take to bake or in what proportions I would mix the cinnamon and sugar, so I Googled. I found Pioneer Woman’s recipe and it looked slightly different than what I’d made the last time, so I thought I’d give it a whirl. I’m glad I did–Andrew said it was the best he’d ever had. Must be the butter and brown sugar mixture you cook and then pour over the top. No, people, this is not health food. Not one bit.

And before I leave you, I simply must tell you the story of how Andrew made monkey bread that time long ago in our apartment (well before blogging, but oh, that would have made a great post!)…

Here’s the scene: I come down the stairs to the kitchen to find him standing in front of the stove (one of those with the four coil burners on the top), on one side of the stove top was a bowl of melted butter and the dough pieces, and on the OTHER SIDE of the stove top was the bowl of cinnamon sugar. I watched him take a piece of dough, dunk it in the melted butter (the way I assumed monkey bread was made until I read PW’s post) and DRIP DRIP DRIPped across the stove to the cinnamon and sugar bowl, and then DRIP DRIP DRIP[ed back across the stove top to the Bundt pan. I still remember the horrified gasp I let out when I saw the mess he was making.

It’s funny now, but I still wonder how someone with THREE degrees (two of them in Engineering!), does the things he does and still makes it through the day. Guess we’re all good at different things, huh? Now that I type that, I think that’s what 6.5 years of marriage has taught me; I love him, despite his “imperfections,” just like he loves me, despite mine. And oh, I have some imperfections! (Mine just don’t include making messes…)

I love you, honey, and I was so happy to make you that special breakfast today 🙂

BPO Summer Nights

Andrew and I enjoyed a concert last night at Knox Park, in East Aurora, put on by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. They do a few free outdoor concerts each summer, which serve as fundraisers and a way to bring culture the those who wouldn’t otherwise attend.

The selections were mainly from major motion pictures–from ‘Jaws’ to Pixar’s ‘Up’–which I enjoy the most. It’s neat to recognize the themes from Indiana Jones or Jurassic Park.

We’d stumbled upon the BPO performing in a park last summer in South Buffalo (while we lived at the hotel) while out on a walk with Hadrian. Obviously, we were really kicking ourselves that we hadn’t known about it earlier.

Well, this time we were prepared! (Love the new shirt, by the way. Thanks, Mom!)

I was feeling very bourgeois and so brought a baguette, salami and special strawberry chardonnay cheese (for me, obviously), along with a selection of veggies and hummus, cherries and a little angel food cake (for Andrew). We had wine to drink, and it was wonderful.

I was in a quandary; do I bring the wine bottle or not? I didn’t; I poured about half into a smaller container and packed all the food in Tupperware. I shouldn’t have stressed; there were more people there with wine bottles than you would believe. Bourgeois indeed!

But oh, to have had a cute little picnic basket (or at least the innards of one; I have a beautiful market basket I used) and a way to have kept just one bottle cold–do they make single-bottle “wraps” or something to chill a bottle? I settled for Tupperware, which may not have been uber-classy, but served the purpose and provided a stress-free transport.

It was a beautiful night, and we ended up randomly finding some of Andrew’s co-workers in the crowd, and so sat with them, which was nice. The weather was perfect, parking was effortless (for the most part) and the music well chosen. If we had ended our night here, it would have been a success.

But no, we embarked on the biggest dichotomy (good word, thanks Ben!) of all; we packed up our wine and cheese and headed with Andrew’s friends to the Wales Center Hotel…you don’t have to drive far outside of East Aurora to get to hickville. Let’s just say Julie’s cute yoga outfit was “overdressing,” let alone Andrew’s button-up, linen shorts and sandals. We weren’t in Kansas anymore… It was all-you-can-eat wing night there, the girls’ softball team was raising money and us girls managed to drag out a game of pool WAY longer than it needed to be. Hey, at least the wings were good!