We Ate Here, We Watched This, Bla Bla Bla

I am behind on my blogging. I know. I'm sorry. Lately, I haven't felt like talking/blogging and I've also had some figuring out that I wanted to complete before talking/blogging about it. But the good news is that I'm here to do some updates on what's been going down in the J and L house.

Here we go in no particular order:

• Jesse and I received generous monetary gifts from our parents for Valentines Day which meant we didn't have to go to Moe's or some other non-romantic location to celebrate. We spent the afternoon and evening on Seneca Lake doing some wine tasting at a couple wineries before having dinner at the Bistro at Red Newt Cellars. Red Newt Cellars is one of our favorite local wineries and we've been meaning to get to the Bistro for quite a while. We just haven't had the money. That's why the gifts from our families were so perfect. The Bistro is delightful and right up our alley since they use the finest and freshest local and regional ingredients in their menu. This quote comes from their website:

  The Red Newt Bistro represents the finest in fresh regional cuisine of the Finger Lakes. Every menu is build (sic) with the diner and the farmer in mind. Local ingredients are the main fare, and seasonality is the life blood of every menu.

  Jesse started with the house salad and I had the Tomato Vegetable Soup. For his entree, Jesse ate the Local Free-Range Pork Loin with sweet apple glaze, apple chutney, Parmesan risotto and seasonal vegetables. I had the Local Free-Range Chicken stuffed with prosciutto, provolone, spinach and roasted red pepper sauce with Parmesan risotto and seasonal vegetables. For dessert, Jesse had Chocolate Pate with Cranberry Port Sauce and I had the Maple Walnut Cheesecake. We shared a bottle of Hennepin from Ommegang Brewery in Cooperstown, NY and Jesse had a glass of Red Newt Riesling.
  
• Last weekend, we saw The Reader with Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes at the Art Mission & Theatre. It was amazing and I loved it as much as it absolutely broke my heart. Both the film and its five Oscar nominations were controversial because of the film's sensitive subject matter. More on the issue can be found at CNN and a great review of the film can be found at The Stranger. I truly loved it; I almost can't stop thinking about it.
• I have taken a job as a residence counselor at Franziska Racker Centers. It is a non-profit organization that works with developmentally disabled people. I'll be working an awake overnight shift at one of their 17 residential homes. More news as I get it.
  
• I've started parting my hair on the side. I think its cute. Jesse didn't really notice. I'll post a picture sometime soon.
  
• Thursday is my birthday. There will be no pomp like there has been in years past. There will be no sleeping in (I have to get up at 4 am and go to work!) and no birthday massage. Instead, I'm going to visit my besty, Tovah, at the end of this month! I'm really excited about the visit even though I'm sad to forgo my much-needed deep tissue birthday massage. Plus, I haven't worked on my birthday for years. ::huff:: Maybe once I start making the big bucks (compared to what I'm making currently) at my new job, J will let me splurge for a massage.

I think that's most of it. Consider yourself updated.