December 2006

Never knew that John Updike said that (thank you, Christina) but for better or worse, it’s so so so so true.

I started putting my personal effects into a box in preparation for the last day and I can’t help but wonder how much of a difference I have made with my time there, just one cog in a huge ensemble. I think you know that you have truly created and owned a thing that when it comes time for you to let go and pass it on to the next person, you treat it as if it were your baby.

Do it well, make it even better. Please care about it as much as I do because it makes a difference.

Thanksgiving 2006.

I wanted to take a photo with my cousin’s darling baby daughter Ashley; however, it turns out that she was much more interested in the camera than me. Technology 1 - Jennie 0.

Finishing dinner at the sushi bar
Poking at my pineapple
I can hear chick rock playing in the kitchen -
Gwen, Alanis, Jewel
Smiling, I sip my Japanese green tea.

I am a big fan of FreshDirect here in NYC. While I enjoy going to the various markets and stores in my neighborhood, there is something to be said about having groceries delivered right to my apartment door. FD’s greens and vegetables are, amazingly, fresher and healthier-looking than the greens offered by the supermarkets in my immediate area. I still do most of my meat shopping at Whole Foods and pick up the seasonal good stuffs at the Union Square greenmarket on Saturdays but having FD deliver kitchen staples (and heavy stuff!) like canned tomatoes, beer, dried pasta, seltzer, onions - is fantastic. The delivery guy that usually serves my neighborhood is super friendly; “haven’t seen you in a while,” he said while dropping my boxes off tonight (he’s right, I haven’t made a delivery in a few weeks now) and we chat about the weather and the Giants.

On more than one occasion, FreshDirect has accidentally packed items that I did not order. The list of “huh, I didn’t order this”:
+ a case of a dozen bottles of Diet Lemon Snapple (I don’t like diet Snapple so I brought them in batches to the office)
+ a bag with three ears of yellow corn
+ two rolls of Scott toilet paper (the emergency rolls in my closet: I don’t believe in cheap toilet paper in my bathroom but I bet they’ll come in handy one day…)
+ two 2-liters of Pepsi
On each occasion, I’ve called Customer Service to report the mistaken item but they’ve always told me to keep it and have never charged me for them. Impressively, they have never forgotten to pack an item I ordered.

The luxury item from tonight’s order: four par-baked chocolate croissants - yum. I’ve never ordered par-baked croissants before so I have no idea how these will actually taste but the idea of warm chocolate croissants in my oven makes me smile. They’ll have to do until I learn to actually make croissants myself…