Birthday #27: A feast for the senses

Yesterday was my birthday, and despite having a black eye, and despite having a little cold, I had a wonderful day.

Touch
Scott's parents sent me a gift certificate to a spa, so I scheduled a deep tissue massage. My legs certainly needed and appreciated it!

Sight & Sound
Scott took me to see Peru Negro, and they were brilliant. (See the previous post for a video of them.) Powerful music, exquisite dancing. I went to an African dance class last week - it was extremely difficult, and it gave me a much deeper appreciation for the dancing I saw last night.

Scent & Taste
Scott gave me Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, so for lunch today I opened it to the "Greens and beans" section and filled our dutch oven with lentils, dandelion greens and fennel. I think this cookbook will be even better for us than How to Cook Everything, given the amount and variety of vegetables & grains we eat. It also has some really helpful charts and indexes. Mark Bittman is so smart. I'm really excited to investigate this book some more!

Brain (the miscellanea)
(1) My parents sent me Birds Without Wings, a historical novel, which is apparently the book to read before traveling to Turkey. (Speaking of which, I'll be in Istanbul exactly one month from today!) I've been reading Orhan Pamuk's Istanbul: Memories and the City, but it hasn't exactly grabbed me, so I'm happy to have this to sink my teeth into!
(2) I'm really excited that I'm 27 years old - that's three cubed. I haven't been a perfect cube since I was eight, and I won't be a perfect cube again until I'm 64!
(3) (I think alcohol fits better under the "Brain" category than "Scent and Taste.") Lisa and her roommate Gina took me out for a birthday drink after the show last night - a dirty martini and cheesy garlic toast was definitely the best way to end the night.


Many thanks to everyone who called to wish me a happy birthday, and for all the cards and emails and Facebook posts. I felt like a very special birthday girl.