tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60752792011-08-01T14:33:26.866-05:00the random musings of a gay man in the heartlandjasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comBlogger1491100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-32064661533684666472010-05-14T08:44:00.001-05:002010-05-14T08:44:32.997-05:00

from the hill above the cityOriginally uploaded by jasoneats

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-14719771923048252092010-05-10T10:47:00.001-05:002010-05-10T10:47:55.992-05:00

the pics from the cruise are up on my flickr pagehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/26884390@N00/sets/72157623949000662/

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-25953494875911487002010-04-03T08:26:00.002-05:002010-04-03T08:39:32.796-05:00

it seems early this year. it's only the 3rd of april but the grass is growing and things are sprouting up. i cleaned out the beds and laid new mulch. i planted a rosemary bush to replace last years. all the other herbs have wintered over: chives (which made their debut two weeks ago!), sage, thyme, oregano and lemon balm. the daylilies are about six inches out of the ground. the lilac,

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-9392357238729697432010-01-19T10:54:00.001-05:002010-01-19T10:55:50.115-05:00

our dinner on saturday night was a somewhat different event. we dressed ourselves up and headed out for a pre-dinner cocktail at the king cole bar in the st. regis hotel. it was quite a lively scene in there at 8pm, with a lot of men in suits and young ladies dressed to the nines. the most noise came from a group of gals out for some “sex and the city” style fun...perhaps a bachelorette

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-27179207966868157832010-01-16T08:27:00.009-05:002010-01-18T08:10:18.413-05:00

my flight from cleveland arrived early; my bag was waiting on the belt; there was no cab line and virtually no traffic. from boarding the plane to walking into the apartment was just about two hours. the worst part of the trip was arriving at hopkins 2.5 hours early and sitting in the food court and gate area, waiting for my flight. drew served a late breakfast (my third of the day) of

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-87349610000939673162009-08-26T06:44:00.002-05:002009-08-26T06:50:03.691-05:00

so i haven't posted in just ages and ages and ages and i thought i had better throw something up here lest blogger try to take away this piece of real estate. i spent last weekend in new yawk eating. the little owl, eleven madison park, bar masa, nougatine and per se. (sorry i am too lazy to put up the links.) i posted about it all on FB, but here it is in the altogether.lunch the first day

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-66004837075985967452008-03-12T12:00:00.001-05:002008-03-15T04:30:39.497-05:00

from here we strolled back down along the eastern edge of the park. it was almost time for dinner in midtown. our final destination was l'atelier de joel robuchon in the four seasons hotel. this is one of a small string of these restaurants across the globe, designed to offer a less formal setting in which to partake in this legendary chef's craft. centered around a pearwood counter seating

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-83244984271886914682008-03-12T11:59:00.004-05:002008-03-15T04:23:24.594-05:00

fast forward to the next morning (mostly because after all that wine, i barely remember hailing a cab) and our lunch at jean-georges in the trump international hotel. set on the ground floor of the building, in a high, bright space with tall windows, the room is an oasis of calm in the frantic setting of columbus circle. the lunch menu is set up in an unusual format: the dishes are all in one

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-82409427949438509352008-03-12T11:59:00.003-05:002008-03-15T04:20:40.773-05:00

our next reservation was deep in the lower east side. we found ourselves at the restaurant with loads of time to spare. walking back west a bit, we stumbled across the newly opened hot spot allen and delancey. we shook off the rain and settled into the bar for a cocktail. drew had his usual knob creek and i was introduced to my new friend, christiana vodka. distilled in norway from trondelag

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-68700478813151837472008-03-12T11:58:00.001-05:002008-03-15T04:13:40.014-05:00

we were up late the next morning, so i dashed out for coffee and some breakfast pastries in the neighborhood. after our usual morning gabfest, we got cleaned up and headed down for a walk around midtown. we took a look at the recently opened new york times building. there is a fascinating installation in the lobby, entitled "moveable type." i could not stop looking at it as it cycled through

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-71958000204432308082008-03-12T11:56:00.002-05:002008-03-15T04:02:10.868-05:00

scheduled on a regional aircraft out of hopkins, i knew before i left for the airport that the plane was less than half full. but i dutifully arrived the full two hours early, checking in and confirming that my flight was on time. once i got through security, i scoped out the gate, only to see that my flight had been delayed by an hour. when i asked, they told me the flight might be cancelled,

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-38554434450468836452007-07-23T08:19:00.000-05:002007-07-23T08:25:09.804-05:00

the next day we had lunch at the modern. we arrived a few minutes ahead of our noon reservation, so we took a seat in the bar room to have a cocktail. i selected a caipiroska, the vodka version of the caipirhina. it involves slices of english cucumber, muddled with fresh mint and shaken with hangar one buddha's hand vodka, fresh cucumber and lime juices and a splash of soda. it was quite

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-33316973127651552422007-07-23T06:28:00.000-05:002007-07-23T07:04:39.801-05:00

we spent the afternoon shopping in midtown manhattan. the bergdorf goodman men's store was our first stop, as i had arrived in the city sans cravat. there were hundreds and hundreds of ties to choose from. i wasn't really seeing anything i liked until i got to the very last table, where i found a lovely cream and grey number by charvet with tiny little paisleys woven into it. we drifted

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-15879335124659314132007-06-12T08:21:00.001-05:002007-06-12T08:21:06.317-05:00

red currants Originally uploaded by jasoneats

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-88307446944506723832007-06-12T08:20:00.005-05:002007-06-12T08:20:55.132-05:00

gooseberries Originally uploaded by jasoneats

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-89474689026280788152007-06-12T08:20:00.003-05:002007-06-12T08:20:41.498-05:00

tomato blossoms Originally uploaded by jasoneats

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-34158873335428535102007-06-12T08:20:00.001-05:002007-06-12T08:20:12.107-05:00

teentsy weentsy cherry tomatoes Originally uploaded by jasoneats the tomatoes are coming! the tomatoes are coming!

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-72691347451821644822007-06-12T08:18:00.001-05:002007-06-12T08:18:21.391-05:00

radishes with dew Originally uploaded by jasoneats i discovered these lovely dewdrops this morning. ain't nature grand?

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-21433156984008468172007-05-10T07:17:00.000-05:002007-05-10T07:21:06.033-05:00

view the pictures here. you may have to copy and paste the url into your browser's address bar.http://www.flickr.com/photos/26884390@N00/sets/72157600194853267/

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-43123978864906068692007-05-10T07:11:00.000-05:002007-05-10T07:15:29.585-05:00

we spent the first four days of may in chicago. the annual company party took us there and we used the opportunity to spend some time withour good friends leslie and pete at their home in portage park. i'll let the pictures tell the tale...

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-10667498673876099632007-02-17T05:36:00.001-05:002007-02-17T05:39:44.086-05:00

tortolaOriginally uploaded by jasoneats. here are the pictures of the islands. we visited st. thomas, usvi; antigua; barbados; st. maarten/st martin; tortola.

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-54272081732406710542007-02-17T05:33:00.001-05:002007-02-17T05:39:00.606-05:00

lady libertyOriginally uploaded by jasoneats. click here to see the shots of the NCL Spirit

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1170765027405052222007-02-06T07:28:00.000-05:002007-02-17T05:18:00.293-05:00

coffee, originally uploaded by jasoneats.click here to take you to the pictures of the plates from the cruise. these are mostly the dining room shots...only a few are from the buffets. scroll down on this page to see the list of what we ate. enjoy!

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1170764669567627192007-02-06T07:05:00.000-05:002007-02-06T07:24:29.583-05:00

tony and i are back from the cruise....ten days aboard the Norwegian Spirit. we left from new york and visited st. thomas, st. maarten, barbados, antigua and tortola. there will be pictures and descriptions of all of that forthcoming, but first let's talk about the food. after our trip last year, i posted an incomplete list of some of the foods we had eaten. this year, i vowed to keep a

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1161697472049389712006-10-24T08:37:00.000-05:002006-10-24T08:44:32.056-05:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } italian harvest tablescape, originally uploaded by jasoneats.

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1161697158180635752006-10-24T08:36:00.000-05:002006-10-24T08:39:18.196-05:00

last weekend, tony and i hosted an italian harvest dinner. it was a gray, wet and windy afternoon, so it was perfect for inviting guests into our home and making them feel all warm and cozy. there were 24 of us all told, filling the house with laughter and positive energy. i arranged a cornucopia of squash, apples, pears, tomatoes and indian corn on the table, along with dozens of candles,

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1160394226993629052006-10-09T06:37:00.000-05:002006-10-09T06:43:47.000-05:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } the table part three, originally uploaded by jasoneats.

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1160394126459644092006-10-09T06:30:00.000-05:002006-10-10T07:13:24.443-05:00

yesterday, tony and i joined our friends to celebrate canadian thanksgiving. included were a contingent from canada, a couple from florida and six of us from here in cleveland. the menu is traditional, including:turkey, roasted with sage and rosemarygiblet gravystuffing, rich with mushrooms and onionhomemade spaetzlesweet potato casserole with toasted cashewsmashed potatoescauliflower and carrot

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1159298494383782152006-09-26T14:15:00.000-05:002006-09-26T14:21:34.393-05:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } le bernardin, originally uploaded by jasoneats. our final meal was here

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1159298253697505752006-09-26T14:06:00.000-05:002006-09-26T14:17:33.710-05:00

the next day held the promise of our final, exquisite meal of the weekend, and we were not disappointed. we arrived at noon at le bernardin and were seated all the way at the back of the room. this afforded us a view of the whole scene, which, aside from a couple of tables of tourists, was completely white, male and corporate. the décor is very clean and simple, with tall windows onto 51st

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1159297443483238712006-09-26T13:57:00.000-05:002006-09-26T14:04:03.763-05:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } D's kitchen, originally uploaded by jasoneats. every time i visit, we have such a great time in the morning, drinking coffee and blabbity-blab-blab-blabbing.

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1159101101348265832006-09-24T07:19:00.000-05:002006-09-24T07:31:41.373-05:00

the next morning i awoke to the smell of coffee brewing. D and i did what we always do after such a meal: we sat together and made as many notes as we could about the experience. we split and shared each of the petits fours, savoring them with our coffee. in this way, we are able to make the evening’s dinner extend on into the morning as well. we got cleaned up and headed downtown to a

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1158775152373027322006-09-20T12:53:00.000-05:002006-09-20T12:59:12.536-05:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } petits fours, originally uploaded by jasoneats.

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1158765777399331842006-09-20T09:49:00.000-05:002006-09-20T10:42:13.213-05:00

i celebrated my 46th birthday lasy weekend with a whirlwind trip to manhattan to visit my friend D. my plane into laguardia actually landed 20 minutes early on saturday evening. my bag was waiting on the carousel, there was no line for taxis and no traffic on the bridge—I was walking into D’s apartment on the upper east side less than four hours after I had left our bungalow in old brooklyn. it

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1156365338348796142006-08-23T15:21:00.000-05:002006-08-23T15:35:38.363-05:00

here's a nifty little site to check out. it let me put together this (partial) list of metros i have used around the world. try it out and you can put this banner on your blog, too! Got at b3co.com!

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1155995463407426852006-08-19T08:45:00.000-05:002006-08-19T08:51:03.413-05:00

welcome to waldameer Originally uploaded by jasoneats. you can click on this picture to start looking at our vacation snapshots.

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1155995234785785242006-08-19T08:19:00.000-05:002006-08-19T08:47:14.806-05:00

our first day out, we stopped at waldameer amusement park in erie. a smaller, older park, it seemed a bit down at the heels. if anything, this made it even more charming. it was not at all commercial. there are extensive picnic groves and all sorts of groups had staked out areas for their picnic lunches. our favorite attractions were the wacky shack fun house and the sky ride aerial tram.

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1152445212669601562006-07-09T06:36:00.000-05:002006-07-09T06:40:12.676-05:00

the reason we drove... Originally uploaded by jasoneats. to kennywood was to take advantage of these great prices on gas!

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1152445101435698542006-07-09T06:30:00.000-05:002006-07-09T06:38:21.456-05:00

tony and i took a couple of days off this week to go to pittsburgh and do a little sightseeing. after attending two different barbecues on the fourth, we dragged ourselves out of bed at dawn’s crack and hit the road early on the fifth. a stop at bob evan’s filled us up big-time and the next thing we knew, we were at kennywood! regular readers know this is an annual pilgrimage for us. this

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1151686189288694512006-06-30T11:45:00.000-05:002006-06-30T11:49:52.023-05:00

june rainbow Originally uploaded by jasoneats.

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1151077314541407052006-06-23T10:38:00.000-05:002006-06-23T10:41:54.546-05:00

mesclun Originally uploaded by jasoneats. i have been feeding all of my family from this little plot for weeks now. i keep thinning and it just keeps on producing. it has been such a pleasure to eat fresh salad this spring!

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1151077193169247902006-06-23T10:36:00.000-05:002006-06-23T10:39:53.180-05:00

strawberries Originally uploaded by jasoneats. these are the plants that already existed when we moved in. although they are full of berries, the fruit is tasteless and watery...more decorative than anything else. i have planted some of my own that should be bearing berries soon.

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1151077108933704952006-06-23T10:34:00.000-05:002006-06-23T10:38:28.940-05:00

cherry tomatoes Originally uploaded by jasoneats. soon we'll have tomatoes!

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1151077023764562482006-06-23T10:33:00.000-05:002006-06-23T10:37:03.840-05:00

radishes Originally uploaded by jasoneats. this is my little homage to chez panisse in berkely, where radishes are de rigeur.

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1150476868463292092006-06-16T11:48:00.000-05:002006-06-16T11:54:28.490-05:00

this is a map of all the states i have visited. i guess i have done some travelling in my day!you can make your own here...create your own visited states map or check out these Google Hacks.

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1146688951764869892006-05-03T15:40:00.000-05:002006-05-03T15:42:31.823-05:00

garden may3 06 014 Originally uploaded by jasoneats. here are some pics of the new plantings in the garden that went in over the last couple days. keep your fingers crossed that it all takes hold!

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1144176054352686682006-04-04T13:40:00.000-05:002006-04-04T13:40:54.406-05:00

the wake Originally uploaded by jasoneats. we're back more than two weeks now and i still miss our trip sorely. the memories are wonderful!

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1143045089045475852006-03-22T10:59:00.000-05:002006-03-22T11:31:29.106-05:00

tony and i are back from our cruise. the first thing i want to say is that this was, quite simply, the best vacation i have ever had. several factors contributed to this, including the location (the carribbean), where i had never visited before; the vacation type (a cruise), which i had never experienced before; and the fact that tony and i were together and celebrating the first anniversary

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1139334615651977112006-02-07T12:29:00.000-05:002006-02-07T12:50:15.740-05:00

there’s been an air of far-flung travel in my world of late. we’ve had the opportunity to eat in several local ethnic eateries and most of them were excellent! i joined my family for lunch at the newly opened taza lebanese grill in woodmere. along with the traditional hummus and fattoush, there is a full bar and more substantial center-of-the-plate options. i tasted a delicious piece of

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1138209507120529152006-01-25T12:18:00.000-05:002006-01-25T12:18:27.126-05:00

my current desktop 

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1138209411661877422006-01-25T12:15:00.000-05:002006-01-25T12:16:51.673-05:00

so now you all know what my desktop looks like. it was a practice shot i took with my new digital camera of the living room rug. now let's see yours!

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1136976717468951852006-01-11T05:32:00.000-05:002006-01-11T05:51:57.520-05:00

last night i went to see brokeback mountain for the second time in 5 days. it is a beautiful, heart-wrenching film. it deserves all of the praise that it has garnered in the past months. ang lee has taken an incredible story and turned it into an amazing experience. this is one that needs to be seen on the big screen. a special mention should go to michelle williams, whose portrayal of alma

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1135940759105944522005-12-30T05:58:00.000-05:002005-12-30T06:05:59.116-05:00

WHEW! christmas is over and we survived! there were many, many parties this time around. i was very lucky with my schedule to be able to attend almost all of them. there were some that had big, fancy catering spreads and others that featured more modest, homecooked meals, but they were all a great chance to meet and mingle with friends. christmas itself was quite pleasant. tony and i spent

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1133708663432215872005-12-04T10:04:00.000-05:002005-12-04T10:04:23.436-05:00

our first tree 

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1133708540962796602005-12-04T09:57:00.000-05:002005-12-04T10:02:20.963-05:00

last night we had some friends over for a tree trimming party. jason came, along with another couple we know. after a dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, caesar salad, and garlic bread, we got to work on the decorating. tony and i had already put up the tree, which is a martha stewart beauty. thank god for pre-lit trees! the guys all made the work go quickly and the results are spectacular.

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1133708137764274022005-12-04T09:48:00.000-05:002005-12-04T09:55:37.806-05:00

thanksgiving was a big success! despite a true blizzard going on out in the world, my family all arrived as promised and the dinner went off without a hitch. the centerpiece included turban and butternut squash, apples, pears, clementines, mixed nuts in the shell, boughs of fragrant mixed evergreen and enough candles to burn the house down. tony even arrived from his family’s celebration in

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1131377619086048372005-11-07T10:25:00.000-05:002005-11-07T10:33:40.073-05:00

once again, after a long absence, i’m back. the captain has been encouraging me and my friend jason has given me permission to skip over the missing months and just pick up in the present. so i’ll focus now on the holiday cooking and baking.first off, i’ve volunteered to have thanksgiving here at our house. it’s the first time i’ve hosted this, so i’m very excited! my family tells me they are

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1131377062672286472005-11-07T10:24:00.000-05:002005-11-07T10:24:22.826-05:00

panettone di casa 

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1125148874298552032005-08-27T07:58:00.000-05:002005-08-27T08:21:16.523-05:00

after reviewing my calendar for the last 5 weeks (!) of activities, i once again find that this post will be mostly about the food. i guess the title of the blog would lead one to think that anyway. back in july, my mother and sister went down to cincinatti for a few days to visit an old family friend. this gave my dad and i the opportunity to have lunch together. we chose to go to fat cats,

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1124240991416507602005-08-16T19:39:00.000-05:002005-08-16T20:09:51.453-05:00

here are my five questions from jay...who got it from usendroy, etc. if this interests you, see below. 1. If you could change one misperception/misconception people have about you, would you?DEFINITELY! I am one of those shy people who gets misinterpreted as being snobby or condescending.2. Describe your perfect evening.After spending the afternoon getting a hot stone massage, I would come home

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1121887245147109172005-07-20T14:02:00.000-05:002005-07-20T14:20:45.176-05:00

WOW! it’s been a month this time! lots has certainly happened, so i’ll try to squeeze it all in. as time passes here in the house, it seems like we’ve been here for months. i grow more and more accustomed to the patterns of living here. the new-ness is fading quickly…and it all feels so right.back in june, tony and i got to go to chicago for a party. every year, my company hosts a party for

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1119442928807715752005-06-22T07:22:00.000-05:002005-06-22T07:22:08.810-05:00

our new home 

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1119443006636954352005-06-22T07:14:00.000-05:002005-06-22T07:23:26.640-05:00

well, we’re both finally in. the moving days both went smoothly, apart from the trauma of seeing one’s house dismantled and loaded onto a 14 foot truck. there is a lot of furniture in this house, that’s for sure. it all seems to fit, with a few adjustments. for instance, tony’s old dining room table has become the laundry folding table in the basement. and his old couch just would not fit

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1117545519885819582005-05-31T08:15:00.000-05:002005-05-31T08:18:39.890-05:00

we finally have the keys...the house is ours! after the expected delays and panicked phone calls (“we forgot to have you sign this form! i’ll bring it to you in an hour so we can file by 11.00!”), it belongs to us. except for the part that belongs to the bank. we went for the walkthrough the other night and i love it more than ever. i keep adding things to the handyman list, but they’re

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1116516633217396762005-05-19T10:28:00.000-05:002005-05-19T10:30:33.223-05:00

we are very close to getting the house. we have gotten the final mortgage approval; we have the homeowner’s insurance; we’ve put the water/sewer/electric/gas in our names; i’ve even gotten an estimate for the movers to come and pack my things and haul them away. now we are just waiting for the title company to work its magic. at some point next week, tony and i will have to go there to sign

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1115469389641802602005-05-07T07:33:00.000-05:002005-05-07T07:36:29.646-05:00

after looking at about twenty properties, we’ve found a house. it’s in the cleveland neighborhood of old brooklyn. the section we’re in was built in the 1920’s, so most of the housing stock has the same look and feel. it’s the natural extension of the apartment buildings i lived in when i was in chicago. it has beautiful wood detailing throughout. most of it appears never to have been

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1115469108505781272005-05-07T07:31:00.000-05:002005-05-07T07:31:48.556-05:00

the hearth 

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1115469026094893012005-05-07T07:30:00.000-05:002005-05-07T07:30:26.146-05:00

living room throu into dining room 

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1115468972266819642005-05-07T07:29:00.000-05:002005-05-07T07:29:32.326-05:00

dinig room cabinet detail 

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1115468612123510012005-05-07T07:23:00.000-05:002005-05-07T07:23:32.206-05:00

the new kitchen 

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1111495091897934492005-03-22T07:35:00.000-05:002005-03-22T07:38:11.896-05:00

everything went off smashingly! i have tried to keep this chronological… we had dinner on friday night with my out of town guests and my parents. we went to aladdin’s on cedar hill, which turned out to be a good choice for a couple of reasons. one of my friends is vegetarian, so he had a wide range of options. plus, it turns out that none of these folks has a good middle eastern restaurant

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1111494889071112642005-03-22T07:34:00.000-05:002005-03-22T07:34:49.070-05:00

the tulips 

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1111494789009732752005-03-22T07:32:00.000-05:002005-03-22T07:33:09.010-05:00

my pals arranged them all in several dozen mason jars and then went to work on the programs. I had created the programs on the computer, using the same font as we used for the invitations. after having them printed at kinko’s, we cut out photos of tony and myself and glued them on to the front covers. this is the first picture taken of the two of us together and I really like it. it was

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1111494553428982802005-03-22T07:29:00.000-05:002005-03-22T07:29:13.426-05:00

tony et jason 

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1111494417527514852005-03-22T07:26:00.000-05:002005-03-22T07:26:57.526-05:00

while everyone was working on these two projects, I was busy assembling the cake. having made the layers about a month ahead and the creamcheese buttercream earlier in the week, all I had to do was put it together. it’s a laborious process with a hundred little steps, so it was nice to have friends there to socialize with the whole time. once I got the three tiers stacked and frosted, everyone

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1111494354081854102005-03-22T07:25:00.000-05:002005-03-22T07:25:54.080-05:00

refrigerator cake 

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1111494276864917782005-03-22T07:22:00.000-05:002005-03-22T07:24:36.863-05:00

we got all the stuff loaded into the saturn and i carried the cake down and placed it into the hatchback. (this is why i bought a station wagon all those years ago…to be able to transport wedding cakes for the catering gigs i was doing. i guess now that i have transported my own, i can have my mid-life crisis and get a sportscar! ;^) )

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1111494112455670872005-03-22T07:21:00.000-05:002005-03-22T07:21:52.456-05:00

wedding cake on saturn 

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1111493971212491902005-03-22T07:10:00.000-05:002005-03-22T07:19:31.216-05:00

we arrived at the church with time to spare. i had planned on directing the arrangement of the furniture in the fireside room for the reception, co-ordinating all the helpers we had lined up, and generally being in charge of the morning’s work. i found, though, that once i got to the church, my brain just shut down and i was unable to do anything constructive! luckily, my buddy stepped in and

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1110194493068592592005-03-07T06:10:00.000-05:002005-03-07T06:21:33.073-05:00

well here it is march and i haven’t posted in weeks and weeks, so i thought i would put up some sort of update. my life right now is awesome! i never thought that things would be so good at 44 years old. the last few years have been a re-birth for me…a chance to start again and build a great life for myself. i have had some very lucky breaks along the way, too. things have really come

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1105719348705043352005-01-14T11:12:00.000-05:002005-01-14T11:15:48.706-05:00

the past week has been very busy with planning for our commitment ceremony. there are so many details to think of. i am thankful for my years in the catering business. it helps to know what needs to happen and not have any untoward surprises (or omissions) on the day of the event. we’ve worked out a budget we think we can live with. we’ll work hard to keep the guest list small, which will

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1105029972807519202005-01-06T11:41:00.000-05:002005-01-06T11:46:12.806-05:00

after a week of mild weather, winter is back in an ugly, unpleasant way. the “current conditions” part of the forecast announces ice pellets falling from above. doesn’t that really make you want to run outside and turn your face to the sky? the prediction is for up to one inch of ice to coat everything in the area. after seeing the video from chicago and points west last night, i am not

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1104413010989367362004-12-30T08:23:00.000-05:002004-12-30T08:23:30.990-05:00

tony acting wacky 

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1104412857474052252004-12-30T08:20:00.000-05:002004-12-30T08:20:57.473-05:00

leslie and pete with martinis in foreground 

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1104412785865815012004-12-30T08:19:00.000-05:002004-12-30T08:19:45.866-05:00

colossal carrot cake from the hyde park grille. this pic does not really do it justice. (pete's hand is there for scale.) 

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1104237091315692762004-12-28T07:20:00.000-05:002004-12-28T07:31:31.316-05:00

whew! this time around, i’m relieved that christmas is over. it was quite an interesting day--one that i will be happy not to repeat. but i’m getting ahead of myself... the remainder of the holiday baking and truffle-making went well. i succeeded in dipping the cognac truffles and they are outstanding. the chocolate tempering worked out great, so the coating has the desired gloss and snap.

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1103202018430530552004-12-16T07:51:00.000-05:002004-12-16T08:00:18.430-05:00

the lack of posting has been due to a couple of things. first off, there has been very little of import going on. mostly, i would have just been saying things like, “we had our busiest week EVER at work,” which has been true consistently for the past 7 weeks now. or something along the lines of, “i’ve been helping my parents unpack and get settled.” or, “i’ve been baking for the holidays.”

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1101404523662772432004-11-25T13:38:00.000-05:002004-11-25T12:42:03.663-05:00

it’s been a while since i had a substantive post …sorry! things have been ultra-busy and there just hasn’t been time. first off, my work is busier than ever, with no let-up in sight. over the course of november, we have increased our weekly sales by 25%!!! this has been accomplished without any new staff being hired on—in fact we let two people go. (this is not as bad as it sounds, as they

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1100470499929985962004-11-14T17:14:00.000-05:002004-11-14T17:14:59.930-05:00

we're sorry everybody 

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1100470371389184372004-11-14T17:09:00.000-05:002004-11-14T17:12:51.390-05:00

about the election, that is. sorryeverybody is a site with thousands of fotos of folks who are sorry that W got re-appointed. this is our contribution. as for america, sometimes i don't feel like we're sorry, i feel like we're pathetic.

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1100086218588809292004-11-10T06:10:00.000-05:002004-11-10T06:30:18.586-05:00

my trip to boston was loads of fun! the work-training part of it was just about what i expected, with goofy skits and poster-making activities. normally i would think this was lame, but with the company i work for it all sort of makes sense. we have that slightly wacky, fun-loving vibe going on and so the training fits into our (non)corporate mold. in any event, it was worth the time to sit in

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1098970124249680802004-10-28T08:28:00.000-05:002004-10-28T08:28:44.250-05:00

this picture is composed of fotos of all those who have given their lives in iraq.  

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1098969934152787892004-10-28T08:25:00.000-05:002004-10-28T08:25:34.153-05:00

what more can i add? 

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1098969859145009742004-10-28T08:24:00.000-05:002004-10-28T08:24:19.146-05:00

please get out there and brush...er, i mean VOTE! 

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1098969733597412982004-10-28T08:13:00.000-05:002004-10-28T08:22:13.596-05:00

it seems that as a nation we are all on the edge of our seats as we wait to see the outcome of next tuesday's vote. my prediction is that this will be thrown to the courts in much the same way as 2000. i just don't see how it might all end. it's clear that neither of the candidates can back down. bush will never step aside, having learned the last time around that if he whines long and loud

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1098457970165649882004-10-22T10:01:00.000-05:002004-10-22T10:12:50.173-05:00

another week gone by…it’s hard to believe. the trees are now past their peak of color, the nights are consistently chilly and i can see the holidays coming at me like a runaway freight train. next thing you know it will be the first of the year and we can start this whole thing all over again! this past week was fun, in part because my parents were in town. they came to check on the progress

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1097848174505310312004-10-15T08:39:00.000-05:002004-10-15T08:49:34.506-05:00

I know, I know, I haven’t posted in awhile. What can I say? I’ve been busy and there’s lots to tell. (Sarah—is that better?) I’ll do like Maria von Trapp and start at the very beginning. One afternoon a couple of weeks ago, I picked tony up after work and we drove out to Lorain County to Spiegelberg Orchards. Now this is not a fancy, new-fangled orchard like Patterson’s, where I had gone

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1096641009577930802004-10-01T09:20:00.000-05:002004-10-01T09:30:09.576-05:00

As far as my feelings for growing old gracefully, this seems to be spot-on… "Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, champagne in one hand, strawberries in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming WOO HOO—what a ride!" It comes to me via Gatsby’s Ghost, and

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1095857267491646702004-09-22T06:51:00.000-05:002004-09-22T07:47:47.493-05:00

the last few days have been VERY exciting...to me at least. sunday, tony took me to brunch and it was just spectacular. the century restaurant at the ritz is done in lovely hues of caramel and bronze. the table was set with silver and crystal and fresh flowers. the buffet was great: a cheese board, with about a dozen choices, garnished with fruit, crackers and rosemary focacciaeight kinds of

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075279.post-1095592656254942152004-09-19T05:46:00.000-05:002004-09-19T06:17:36.253-05:00

the weather turned cold yesterday. after several days of rain, heat and humidity, the skies cleared, the wind switched to come from the north and the temps dropped into the 50's. you can definitely feel that snap of fall in the air. it's a relief to me to know that the worst of the heat is passed, even though it was a mild summer. the trees are starting to turn and the days are shorter. i

jasoneatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07793667001231184830noreply@blogger.com