Apartment Cleanup 101

 

I find it amazing that my apartment once looked this "Neat".  But it is getting there again.  Because RQS and I have a virtuous circle relationship, it seems that when I work on cleaning up my apartment, RQS is inspired to work on hers (and vice versa.)  This weekend, I went to RQS's place for a change, and we did a little work on cleaning out junk from her place.

But first....

Last week, RQS expressed a desire for me to go down to her place for a change, and I said yes.  This decision was fortunate, as I have to get a handyman to come to fix the tiled wall near my bathtub.  So, I took care of several errands before driving to RQS's house, one of which included donating 2 large boxes of books to a local library's thrift shop, returning another book to my local library, and talking with my building's super.

Once on the road, I hardly hit any traffic, and I reached RQS's place earlier than usual.  RQS was waiting for me with a couple of lobsters to be cooked.  Yum!  It was a good evening for a lobster boil, and she noted that it was more enjoyable than eating lobster at any local restaurant.  Both of us were tired, and we decided to hit the hay a little early for our next day's activities.

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The sun came out, and there was more than enough light coming in through RQS's windows to cause me to wake up much earlier than usual.  After relaxing in bed for a while, both RQS and I (mostly her) proceeded to declutter her apartment.  By the time we were ready to go for dinner, she had a couple of boxes of books to go to the donation bins.  I was tasked with bringing her old bookcase down to the trash area, and her apartment looked much cleaner for the work put into it.

Next, we got showered and dressed, and off to "Curry Hill" for dinner.  Our first stop was at the bookstore, where I picked up a guidebook to Bermuda.  Then, it was off to Third Avenue for dinner. We found a nice place via Yelp, and were lucky to get seated without reservations.  RQS said that the food was a little better than our usual NYC go-to pace.  As for me, I felt that it was as good or slightly better.  But it was $20+ more expensive for a similar meal.  (It was worth it.)

Why did we go to "Curry Hill" instead of Greenwich Village?  Tipsy Scoop!  We wanted our booze infused ice cream.  And we got it.  Yum!  We paid for it though.  We couldn't find a bus that would take us back to the subway which would return home.  In the end, we walked over 1/2 mile to find the bus stop before going into the nearby subway to go home.

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Sunday came, and so did more apartment cleanup. While RQS was organizing things, I fixed a problem on her computer which prevented some things from printing.  Once we showered and dressed for the day, we delivered more stuff to the local donation center before I left for the evening.

Sofa shopping and lobster cooking

 

The original plans for this past weekend had me driving to RQS's place, and us doing things in Manhattan.  Specifically, we'd go to the "Curry Hill" area of Manhattan for Indian food, then go to Tipsy Scoop for some booze infused ice cream.  It was a weekend where I was supposed to be presenting as Mario.  But hot weather was predicted for Friday and Saturday, so we changed our plans.  RQS would come to Croton this weekend, and I'd trek into NYC next weekend.  As a bonus, I could stay in Marian mode for most of the weekend.

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Saturday came, and we got up late.  But we still had enough time to make it across the river and do some furniture shopping.  We knew the sofa I wanted to ask questions about, and this meant dealing with a very hungry salesman.  Boy, was he hungry!  He employed many of the sales tactics an aggressive (but ethical) car salesman might use to get someone to make a deal "right now".  But there was no way I would put my Jane Hancock on a contract - if their Memorial Day sale was a guide, I expect to see a Labor Day sale price $250 lower than it was on this visit.  Yet, RQS was impressed by this person's persistence.  Unfortunately, I was not impressed by his lack of knowledge in regard to the products on the floor.  What I told RQS, and not this fellow, was that there would be no way he'd get the sale - I have to be in Mario mode when I sign a contract, and this means that we will be going to another of their outlets when I'm ready to consummate a deal.

Our next stop was at Shoprite, where I picked up some lobsters to cook this evening.  By the time we got home, RQS was getting hungry, and I wanted to get some water to boil as quickly as possible - I was hungry for lobster too.  Shortly afterward, the lobster was cooked and we were ready for our feast.  And feast, we did! 

Spending another weekend in Queens

 

Over the past year, I have been in the above subway station many times.  Either I have taken a bus to reach this station, or I have made subway transfers there.  RQS's house is nearby.  And when I reach this station on the way to her house, I know that it is a short time before we are together for the weekend.  This week was slightly different, as I approached this station by car on the way to drop RQS off at her house.

But first....

Last weekend, I left my big suitcase at RQS's place after returning from our trip to DC.  The only things I took home with me were a knapsack with some books in it, and my CPAP machine.  Everything else could wait until this weekend.

On Friday, I drove to RQS's place and was able to find a parking spot within a block and a half from her place.  And this is where the car would stay until Monday.  We figured that we could make a supermarket run before I left for home, and RQS (with her groceries) would be dropped off at her place on my way back home.

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Saturday came, and we didn't have a good idea of what to do.  So I suggested that we take the subway into Manhattan and get a sandwich at Katz's Delicatessen.  Although it was cold, it was the best thing we could think of.  By the time we got there, we realized that we made a mistake - there was a block long line of people waiting to get into Katz's.  There was no way we were going to wait out in the cold for an hour.  So we walked into the East Village and looked for some of the Indian restaurants we remembered being there.  Sadly, "Little India" had left The Village, and we had to look for something else to eat.  Luckily we found an excellent Chinese restaurant, Chef Tan, which serves both authentic Chinese dishes and American "Chinese" dishes.  Although we were "warned" against it, we decided to order the Dongting Special Shrimp.  This was our only disappointment, as we didn't like the crunchiness of the tiny shrimp, nor did we like the heat of the dish.  However, the Iron Plate with Mongolian Beef more than made up for the first dish.  After dinner, we wanted something sweet for dessert, and Tipsy Scoop was only a bus ride away.  So, it was off to our favorite ice cream shop to pick up a couple of pints of boozy ice cream.  

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Sunday was a slow motion day, and RQS decided that it was time to donate some of her goods to an informal charity exchange a few blocks from her house.  Around mid-afternoon, we wheeled a couple of shopping carts to the exchange place, and left goods there for the needy to take without question. (I will not mention more about this place, as the needy people don't need to be gawked at by others.) From this place, we walked to a nearby pizza joint for a bite to eat before going home for the evening.

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Monday was the day my car had to move because of alternate side of the street parking rules.  We figured that I'd load my luggage into the trunk, and RQS would load her groceries into my back seat. First, we had to make it to Wegman's in Brooklyn. Normally, this would be a 30 minute trip through Brooklyn streets.  However, several traffic snarl-ups caused us to take a convoluted path to Wegman's that Google Maps wouldn't suggest - and we got there in less than an hour.  $100 later, RQS was ready to leave, and it only took us 30 minutes to get back to her place.

It was a long, but enjoyable weekend.  But I'll be glad to get back into my dresses again....

Garbageman

 

An alligator in the sewer system.  It's a classic New York City myth, and one New Yorkers enjoy telling people from time to time.  This weekend, RQS and I decided to go into the city to see an off-Broadway play (Garbageman) for which we had tickets.

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As has become our routine, we try to find an entertainment venue to go to on weekends.  This week's venue was one of a handful of plays which were selling tickets at a price lower than a first run feature film.  We have both gotten tired of the typical Hollywood blockbuster fare, where special effects, not plot or performances, are the focus of the movie.  And off-Broadway plays seem to give us better value for money spent - even when we see a dud of a play like Garbageman.

Normally, I get to RQS's place spending about 15 minutes or so hunting for a parking spot.  Today, I parked within sight of her apartment, on my first pass through her neighborhood.  We killed a little time hooking up her DVD player before leaving for dinner.  Instead of going for Indian food in the West Village, we went to a place serving Turkish food, the New Istanbul Grill.  It has now become another one of our go-to joints while in Manhattan, as we both enjoyed a good mean at very reasonable prices.

Next, it was off to see Garbageman.  This play is about two men, dissatisfied with their lot in American life going to attend the January 6, 2021 "Rally" in Washington, DC.  By the time the first act ended, we were totally bored by the play and decided to back to her place for a pint of Tipsy Scoop ice cream.  Considering the play's review in the New York Times, we probably did the right thing by leaving. If the first act was any guide to how the second act would be, we should have gone with RQS's suggestion and gone to a different play.  Maybe next time.  

On the way back to RQS's place, we saw a lot of young people who had obviously gone out clubbing.  One woman of note had on a red dress that barely covered her pubic delta.  While in the subway, I noted that this was a dress for either standing up, or for keeping her legs very close together.  What I didn't mention until we got back to her place was that this woman's undies matched the dress she was wearing. We had a laugh, and decided to take out one of the pints of Tipsy Scoop in her freezer and watch "He Said, She Said" before calling it a night.

Lobster!

 

The other day, I turned RQS on to a food truck that travels around the NYC area, serving wonderful lobster to anyone near their 3 food trucks.  So we planned a day that centers around decadent food.  First, I'd pick up a wholesome, decadent meal from the lobster truck in Bayside, Queens. And after our late lunch, we'd make our way to Tipsy Scoop for some booze infused ice cream.

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About a year ago, I found out about Cousins Maine Lobster from a site I stumbled into online. It took me a while to meet up with one of their food trucks.  When I finally did, it was nirvana.  I've never had lobster that tasted this good - and I've had many tasty crustaceans in my time.  Yes, it's a matter of cooking technique that does the trick.  But I've cooked many a tasty lobster.  They are doing something right that I do wrong.

The booze infused ice cream is nothing new to me.  I was introduced to it by an ice cream shop in Beacon, NY.  Although I know the ice cream maker that produces their booze infused ice cream, this firm does not list it on their site. (I'll bet that it's because of our alcohol laws in both the United States and in New York State.)  And then I heard of Tipsy Scoop.  When I first heard of them, they had a limited distribution which would have forced me to travel to Astoria to pick up a pint to go.  Now, I can pick up a pint in a specialty market 20 minutes away from me, and still have it in a condition to be served by the time I get it into my freezer.

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Luckily, the lobster trucks are not limited to New York City suburbs anymore, nor is the distribution of Tipsy Scoop ice cream. If you can find them, I highly recommend these products....