I'm Back on the Block

  Hey Dolls! Sorry I have been kept away from the blog since June! Well, we're smack in the middle of summer and it's a hot one today in New York. I'm so thankful today is a summer friday so I get out at 3pm. The week surprisingly flew by, as is summer - we have 5 weeks left until Labor Day and I haven't been to the beach once! My only beach days are the weekend, and this summer my weekends have been jam packed with events. Let's see...what have I been up to?

  I've been spending a lot of time in Brooklyn at my cousin Amanda's house. I have some family there and they all live in apartments next door to each other, so it's like a family version of Melrose Place. We often discuss having a reality show titled 'Court Street' about the day to day. It's so comical and with outside characters from the neighborhood, I think it would be a hit! No matter what we do, it's always so nice for the family to be together. We love food so we usually eat out a lot. Here are some places we eat: Dizzy's Diner in Park Slope, Francesco's of Brooklyn where we get delicious grandma pizza with mozzerella and prosciutto, Seersucker , 12th Street Bar and Grill , Osteria Il Paiolo by the waterfront in Williamsburg, Morris Truck and many other places.

   On a recent visit, I took the F-train from Union Square to Carroll Street and picked up some vodka and Baked by Melissa ( I really enjoyed the July monthly -Fireworks) to take to my cousin. We had iced capuccinos, Francesco's pizza (Ashlan adores pizza and does a pizza chant) and then Amanda and I got ready to go to the 12th Street Bar and Grill to meet her friend Suzann for her birthday. Suzann is fabulous and knows the whole world so the place was packed with friends. It was nice to go out with my cousin. However, you know me and my love for meeting wackadoos - I wound up getting a marriage proposal from this old guy from the neighborhood, Frank, who was sicilian. He told me I was the only woman who ever understood his sense of humor and he needed to marry me although he wouldn't have more kids. Wackadoo. I introduced him to my cousin because aside from his abrupt proposal, he was saying things and making faces and being an all out lunatic and I knew someone had to see him to believe him. He was a very nice man but i'm sure he had too much to drink and is a crazy. I wound up telling him that Amanda and I were the same age, and we have boyfriends at home sharpening their knives waiting for us to come home. That scared him off! In the end, when he left, he shook my hand, told the bartender to give Amanda and I a drink on him, and said thanks for the company. I always seem to befriend these nuts but he turned out nice.
Next, I met this guy Mark who is friends with Suzann. he had sockless loafers on (love) and was tall and had a smooth voice with a great smile. In the dark he was hot. In the pictures next day, not so much. We talked about restaurants and other things, and he was a very good conversationalist, which I like. It also turns out that he used to live near me. He wanted to take me out next week, and he actually did call but we never wound up making plans. I met a whole bunch of other nuts that were there for the birthday, a fake professor and some of Amanda's friends from work who I really liked. Back at home, Keither and I hung out and listened to music and wound up going to bed at 7am!!! I haven't gone to bed with the sun since college.
  Saturday, we took my cousin's adorable daughter Ashlan to Prospect Park and I caught her follwing what this older boy did on the playground - she's already eyeing those boys! Amanda's husband Jason got dumplings from The Rickshaw Truck and his cousin Keith and I got AMAZING grilled cheese from the Morris Truck. It was so hot out and we were chugging water by the gallon. We got home and chose a place to eat, and decided on Il Paiolo. I got a margarita with Pappardelle al Cioccolato al Ragu di Cinghiale e Verdure - chocolate pappardelle pasta with wild boar ragu and vegetables. I also got prosciutto and melon as an appetizer and had some of Keith's Lobster Gnocchi in tomato sauce. We were stuffed. Ashlan leads a cool life - she dresses like us and eats what we eat. Williamsburg is a very happening place, especially on a summer Saturday at dusk. To my surprise, this girl Dana who I used to work with passes by the window with her boyfriend!! She lives on LI like me. I shot out and called her name and we had a joyous reunion. When we got back to the apartment, we all tried to watch Despicable Me (I want the little girl with the brown eyes and brown hair!!) but I fell asleep.
  Sunday, my whole Brooklyn family came to Long Island for brunch at Riverbay . There were 12 of us. Then everyone came back to our house for dessert and chit chat. Our neighbor Jerry and his two daughters and wife came over and the guys started drinking scotch and smoking cigars. The sun was perfect, and everyone had a great time with numerous laughs.