It’s Been A While

And it’s been busy. But things are coming together as we plan for our move back home and for our move away from what has become a great home of its own.  Departing like this is never easy, but I know we have a great many friends and family to return to!  The route is planned and will be taking us through Indianapolis for a stopover downtown.   Crowley received her summer haircut this past week and we definitely got our money’s worth.  That’s actually not true --  we took her to a new place and the cost was ridiculous but the idiom still holds:  much hair was removed.  Just gotta trim that tail.  And maybe the ears.

On Saturday I spent a few hours with local Atlanta musician Paul Tate at his home for a session on composition and publication, followed by lunch.  It was a great opportunity to step through some of my work and get real-time feedback from someone with his background.  Looking forward to dinner with him next weekend!

We attended the Georgia Shakespeare Festival at Oglethorpe University with Jordan and Skyler.  Antony and Cleopatra was playing and it appeared to be fairly well done.  I’m afraid this particular work just didn’t click with me.  It came across as too historical, yet not historical enough; too much pathos and not enough time for the plot to breathe.  Anyway, the play was preceded by a picnic dinner (with a Southern flair) on the Oglethorpe campus (with a slightly mismatched neo-Gothic flair).

Sunday we spent a leisurely morning working around the apartment, handling some “administrative tasks”, and spending time by the pool.  Aimee and I led the choir at mass that evening and, “when the cat’s away”,  Aimee sings solos.  So after a well delivered Panis Angelicus, we made the quick trip out to Bob and Louanne’s for a dinner.  Their hospitality at IHM, over Easter, and this past weekend is just remarkable.  I knew we’d be in for a good meal but, just in case, we took note of this establishment on the way out to Stone Mountain:It’s a little tough to read (but it’s good for a heavily cropped iPhone photo), but this little food emporium features “a taste of Midwest” cuisine.  I really cringe to think of what they came up with.  It’s probably not unlike some northern restaurants that feature “Southern homestyle cooking” that is really just tasteless, fried bits of various vegetables and meats.

Check! Last Sunday, we went to Richard Blais’ Flip Burger with some friends after mass.  This was another restaurant on our list about which I was warned by Aimee that she “would be very sad” to not visit.  Loved the concept but needed to be scaled back and lessen the mass-market direction is seemed to be heading.

This coming weekend marks the final one in Atlanta.  True to form, we’ll ensure it’s a well packed weekend.  Once the movers come on Thursday to take away our personal belongings and once the furniture company comes on Friday to take away our rented belongings, I know we’ll be ready to occupy our minds with something other than moving and packing.  Iberian Pig with Jordan and Skyler on Friday night?  A great start.

Three More Sundays

Weekends seem to come and go quickly these days, especially Sundays.  Between packing and trying to make the most of our weekends, it’s been busy to say the least.   This was no exception and as it’s late on a Sunday and I still need to pack for Austin, I’ll provide some quick highlights:

We finally got to Sotto Sotto for dinner.  I’ve been “under under” the impression that this is one of the best Italian restaurants in Atlanta.  We’ve been to a few and this was just great.  We had fresh pappardelle with braised duck ragu, spinach and ricotta gnocchi, and split a whole roasted fish (orata was the special). 

Brunch brought us back to Rosebud, home of the Nasty Royale, Gordo’s Breakfast, and the Ultimate Stuffed Pancake.  We went with some of Aimee’s colleagues and showed them a good Southern breakfast.

Last food note:  Aimee made Italian sausage and peppers on Saturday night and she did an amazing job.  One of our better meals of late in fact.  We enjoyed a bottle of moscato to go along with it. 

But before the sausage and peppers came a red letter event in Crowley’s life:  swimming.  We took her to the banks of the Chattahoochee just outside Atlanta and slowly introduced her to the concept of swimming.  Most hilarious to me was her pre-paddling wherein she was already making her swimming stroke while still being held in the air.  Have a look:

Crowley Goes Swimming

And finally, Jamaica is officially happening!  We bought tickets tonight and have secured our reservation and our first “all-inclusive”, the Iberostar Rose Hall Suites in Montego Bay.

And with that, good night!

Congratulations Aimee!

It seems like just yesterday that Aimee and I were sitting at a bittersweet graduation dinner at the Chicago Yacht Club for the outgoing Rush neurology residents.  Surrounded by trusted colleagues, all products of a world-class program, Aimee was soon leaving them (and it) to train with the very best in neuro-ophthalmology.  This past weekend, we had another such bittersweet evening.  We celebrated the accomplishments and honors of this year’s fellows and residents of the Emory Department of Ophthalmology.  The year is not quite over, but as Aimee prepares to leave an excellent program, armed with a wealth of clinical experience and new relationships (both professional and personal), there’s no doubt we will both miss many elements of our life here.  It is with gratitude and anticipation, however, that she begins anew with the world-class program back at Rush.  And it is with pure admiration, respect, and awe, that I say “Congratulations” to Aimee for her dedication, work, and tremendous growth this past year.

The program from the evening is listed above.  When Dr. Newman got up to say a few words about Aimee and Daniela, I didn’t expect to be included.  However, when jointly addressing the “strengths” that Daniela and Aimee shared, one strength was their respective spouses.  I think it came naturally for Matt and me, but the support we gave evidently did not go unnoticed.  Below is a picture of Aimee and Daniela from that night as well as a shot of their foursome from the annual golf outing.  Aimee even came home with the “Closest to the pin” prize!

Lastly, we crossed off another restaurant from our list:  4th and Swift.  We actually went for brunch with Jordan and his wife Skylar and it was fantastic.  Aimee had “Briôche Egg Toast, Red Wine-Poached Pears, Mascarpone, Hobb’s Bacon, and Mint” and I went pretty basic for once, with “2 Eggs, Heirloom White Corn Grits, Thick Toast, and House Sausage”.  It was good stuff though!  We closed the weekend with mass, and then dinner and “spirits” with Michael, Jeff, and Patrick.  It was the last time we’ll ever “eat sushi followed by oddly strong liqueur, and auditioning recordings of revised mass settings” with them!

Well that’s it for now.  Work continues to be a challenge for us both, especially as we sort out logistics of getting ourselves back to Chicago.  Till then, dinners and brunches with friends continue to be a fun diversion.