Some of my cousins in L.A. are obsessed with celebrity sightings. Some of the people they have pointed out to me were so low on the celebrity list, I didn't know who they were even after they told me what movie/TV show/commercial they were in.
That celebrity culture exists, albeit to a lesser extent, in New York City. And I admit that I was pretty excited when I saw that Abe Vigoda shopped in my Food Emporium.
I thought all of my celebrity sighting days were over with my move to Boston. So imagine my surprise tonight when I saw who was sitting next to me on the bus on the way home from work.
What? You don't recognize him? Maybe this would help...
Everyone has a story. Everyone has people in their family who seem like they're from another planet, or been in situations that were so awkward that just thinking about them makes them embarrassed. Fortunately, none of us needs to share those elements of our personal lives. David Sedaris does it for us. I've read two of his collections of short stories, Me Talk Pretty One Day and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, and both had me laughing aloud. As outlandish as some of his stories are, there's always an element that's familiar to the reader.
A couple of days ago I saw that he was performing at Symphony Hall, but didn't buy the ticket because I wasn't sure I could make the 7pm show this evening. Fortunately, I live just around the corner, so after a little dinner I wandered over to see if there were any tickets left with 15 minutes until showtime. I found a guy selling one of his tickets because his friend didn't show up, so for $30 I had a front row balcony seat for my first show in Symphony Hall.
David Sedaris didn't read anything from his new book, When You Are Engulfed in Flames. Instead, he chose to read some unpublished stories, which ranged in content from biographical (a very interesting trip on Amtrak) to political (trying to understand how anyone can be an undecided voter in the upcoming US presidential election). Anyone who has heard him on This American Life knows the kind of wit and humor Sedaris has in his delivery. But one of the highlights of the show was the Q&A with the audience after his readings. His interaction with the members of the audience was so natural, the conversation could have easily happened in my living room... minus the microphone.
I moved to Boston on July 3, 2008. Those of you who read Jaffe regularly will recognize that date as (roughly) the day I disappeared. Sure, I've posted a couple of things since then, but nothing about life in Boston since the move.
A couple of weeks ago I got an email from Matt, a friend from grad school (who, incidentally, has the same birthday as me). The email was about raising money for the genetic disorder that is both Matt's clinical and research interest. He's running the Chicago Marathon along with some other people who have been touched by the disorder, called Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS). I'll add a link in the support sidebar, for those of you interested in reading more about this syndrome and supporting Matt in his first marathon.
Anyway, I had no idea that Matt was a Jaffe reader, but his last line in the email was this:
P.S. If you get the chance drop me a note to with a quick update--your last blog update was in July....
The reason I started the blog was to give my friends back in London a chance to experience settling down in New York through my eyes. There are a lot of people that I knew I wasn't going to speak with weekly or even monthly, and I thought the blog would be the perfect way to stay in touch.
After two and a half years, I was back to settling down again, and I guess I let the blog get away from me. It's not that I haven't thought of posting, it's just that there has been so much going on that I haven't felt like a quick post here and there really captured how quickly things are moving here.
Quick posts are clearly better than no posts... thanks Matt.
Turns out staying up until 2:30am having drinks with your friends isn't such a good idea when you have an 8am train to catch!
Anyway, I managed, and after arriving at Back Bay Station around noon (in spite of taking the Acela, which only went fast for about 10 minutes of the trip), it was just a short walk to the real estate agent to get my keys and then on to the new Chateau Jaffe.
Since I had a few days before my things arrived, I brought a pillow and a sleeping bag, and immediately took a nap on the floor... but not before I noticed the nice gift the management company left for me.
Countdown to Beantown, Part 2: Farewell Drinks/Dinners
A couple of posts ago I wrote about the Boston move and the search for an apartment. The lease is signed, deposit check has been sent, so everything is a go.
With a trip to London planned for the end of this coming week, and the move happening only a couple of days after I get back, I've started having my farewell dinners and drinks to say goodbye to my friends in New York.
Thursday was a very nice evening out with my current supervisor and his wife. We went to Smith & Wollensky Steakhouse, a place that I've wanted to try for a while. Smith & Wollensky is exactly what you would imagine a steakhouse would be like. Men and meat. Appetizers like 'Tomato and Onion', which is literally a stack of slices of tomato alternating with slices of raw onion, and main courses like this:
would leave most people digesting their meal for days. Definitely worth skipping lunch next time!
Last night was drinks with friends from New York and the surrounding area. I asked around to some people 'in the know' for advice on the bar, and Anastacia came up with Nightingale Lounge in the East Village. A good choice - no cover, good cocktails, DJ, chilled out atmosphere. Christina and Uli came in from Long Island (with, as Christina put it, a small asian posse), Shoshana and Len made it in from New Jersey, and a lot of the Manhattan crowd showed up in spite of the rain.
I'm sure there are some pictures out there... will put some up when I get my hands on them!
I'm guessing that the majority of people who read Jaffe already know this, but I'm moving to Boston!!!
Serena and I were in Boston at the end of last week to look for a place, and after seeing 16 apartments (yes, 16 apartments) in Cambridge, Beacon Hill, Fenway, and Back Bay/Symphony, we found a very nice one-bedroom garden apartment around the corner from the Prudential Center.
The move is set for the beginning of July, and the grill for the patio will be purchased the day after I arrive!!!
