Pretty as a Picture

Thank you all for your wonderful response to last week's gift guides–I hope they helped inspire your holiday shopping and readied you to start wrapping! 


John and I had been avoiding the final season of Breaking Bad, but on Friday we decided to bite the bullet and downloaded all eight episodes from iTunes. After some housekeeping, we curled up with Indian food to see how Walter White's saga would turn out.

When I woke up the next morning it was clear that John had already been puttering around for hours, so we headed to a nearby café for breakfast rather than dirty up a clean kitchen. We managed to knock out a handful of errands and make it home with plenty of morning to spare, so John picked up his guitar and I picked up my latest read, Salt Sugar Fat, which is absolutely fascinating. Eventually my early riser was ready for a nap, so I made a quick trip to the grocery store for provisions while he dozed. After he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and communed with our latest brewing experiment, a hard cider, John headed across the bridge for a guitar lesson in Berkeley while I headed down the street with our laundry. I cooked up a spicy corn chowder, and after a few more gripping episodes of Breaking Bad, we fell sound asleep.

On Sunday morning, I was up early enough to grid the coffee and make the toast, which we naturally smothered in avocado and topped with a poached egg. We sipped the last dregs of our morning caffeine fixes while watching the conclusion of the Walter White saga, then resumed our usual Sunday morning activities–reading the New York Times Sunday magazine, scrolling through PostSecret and taking in inspiration from all my favorite blogs while John practiced his Schubert songs. He headed off for an afternoon at the distillery, so I turned on God Save My Shoes, a documentary about an obsession I too revel in each Tuesday, and did some editorial planning. After a bit of ballet-inspired exercise, I took a stroll to the neighborhood co-op for supplies for Sunday night supper; my baby brother was bringing his girlfriend, and I wanted it to be a wonderful night! After stocking up on chickpeas, Riesling and cilantro, I curled up with tales of the processed food industry and was so absorbed that suddenly I realized it was dark outside! John arrived home just as I started whipping up a dish of curried chickpeas, and we cozied up with a glass of Sherry while we waited for our guests to arrive. The evening was full of happy conversation and getting to know one another, and at the end of the night, I gave Char a thumb's up. John and I jumped into bed the moment our door shut and watched a sleepy episode of Frasier before turning in for the night.


Tell me, what were you up to this weekend–drafting your gift lists, diving into a riveting new read or ordering a Thanksgiving turkey, perhaps? 

Image by A Bryan Photo.