An impromptu day!

     What a day! This morning, I went for a stroll through the neighborhood.  It was quiet--everyone else having gotten to work by then--and I enjoyed the cool breeze blowing under the now-leaf laden tree branches, still hanging low after last night's heavy rain.  While exploring, I came across "Sorriso's Italian Salumeria" and just had to check it out.  Inside was such a neat/orderly assortment of mouth-watering sausage, cheeses, fresh breads and all kinds of olives.  The butcher section was huge, stretching the whole length of the store.  I scooped up a container of delicious Cerignola olives.  I also bought some small-batch, hand-churned butter from Italy (and one from Maine).  FYI: the store sells all kind and variety of ale, pilsner and lager.  Finishing with a wedge of bittersweet chocolate into the bag, I headed home.

     In the afternoon, I went to meet Lewis (for moral support) at this dentist's office for his root canal.  As I was crossing lower midtown, I was waylaid by the "Anti Wall Street" Protest march that was careening down 6th Ave.

    It had been on the morning news, as they assembled in Bryant Park, that they intended to get attention by upsetting traffic and commerce randomly across town.  However, even though I saw only the end of the March, it was hugely well-attended.  It filled the whole avenue, from sidewalk to sidewalk--stopping busses and cars at intersections.  Everyone was marching--and brandishing all kinds of instruments at random intervals: saxophones, violins, accordions, lots of whistles, drums, boom boxes.  I saw priests, people in random job uniforms, truant students, men in hardhats.  It reminded me of the "I'm so angry, I'm not gonna take it anymore" line from the movie "The Network" (great movie, btw).  It took 10 min to cross the street, and as I did, I could see a wall of police cars--sirens wailing--trying to get downtown, but they couldn't.  And the meter maids, traffic cops and patrolmen on foot who were already there didn't know what to do.
     I left them to sort it out, and finally arrived at the dentist's spiffy office.  The receptionist was apparently expecting me, "You're her for Lewis, hon?"  The hygienist offered me a chair if I wanted to wait in the room with Lewis.  I chatted with him a bit, gave him a quick kiss (Lewis, that is) and graciously excused myself to the waiting room, telling the dentist that I didn't want to be a distraction.  In under an hour, Lewis appeared, a little swollen but still bright-eyed that it was over.  The little puffiness gave his lop-sided grin a cute quality.  I escorted him to his UWS apartment to change, as he wanted to spend the night at my place--which is closer to our jobs, in the morning.

     I zipped over to Citarella's and Fairway to stock up extra orange juice and surprise him with some of his favorite delicacies.  I got soft foods that were easy to eat: goose pâté, baked codfish, parsnip puree, gazpacho soup, vichyssoise (great during such warm weather), and a soft assortment of cow's milk cheeses: Bra Duro Doc, Cantal Dore, Emmental, and Sage Cheddar.  The baker, hearing my mission, was eager to help me find the softest loaf of bread.  To my surprise, he gently squeezed the Pullman, the French loaf and Eli's Pullman (not Eli) and picked the softest!  I also picked up a Red Velvet cupcake from both bakeries (to couple with one from my local bakery, Bakeway) so we could do a side-by-side taste test!  (The young woman at Bakeway thought it was hilarious, "After a root canal, you're going to have cake?  That's hysterically funny.  Have a great night, boys!")
     Awaiting Lewis, I sat on a park bench on Broadway and 73rd under a wisteria trellis, watching the early-rush hour traffic whoosh by.  As Lewis neared me and saw all the bags at my feet, he seemed gleeful.  Only Lewis--and after having root canal--could make such a beautiful smile of appreciation.  On our way to the subway, this did not deter him from stopping in two stores to look at bow ties and linen pants.  Back in Astoria, I also got him a freshly-puréed fruit juice to sip and offer nutrients to his healing mouth.  As I type this, he's napping from the pain medicine, and when he wakes, we will have quite a feast!  I suspect that he may not do a full day at work tomorrow, so if he comes back to my place early, there will be enough easy-to-eat food for tomorrow's lunch and our dinner.  

     All in all, a very productive, impromptu and beautiful day!