Chance of Rain 90%

Well my original intention for this long Massachusetts weekend was to head up to Bar Harbor/ Acadia for some hiking with Kate, however that was thwarted by Ma Nature. Snow, Rain, torrential rain at that, wind, high tides, and flooding. Had there been locusts I would have been a little concerned. I was able to cancel our hotel reservations earlier this past week and instead we had a quiet weekend here in the Commonwealth. Saturday night Kate came over and I had bought a Harrow's chicken pot pie. Now chicken pot pies don't sound particularly special by any stretch of the imagination, but this little Mom & Pop joint in Reading definitely has perfected the pot pie craft. I made up a nice salad with some raspberry vinaigrette dressing to compliment it. Additionally I picked up some fresh baked rolls. We watched some TV and pretty much just lounged around. On Sunday we did manage to catch a film. We saw "The Namesake" which was an excellent independent film about the story of a first generation Indian-American family and how they deal with the culture differences, and the story of the events that brought them here. It was a well done film that championed the importance of family and creating a balance between tradition, and personal choice and independence. The film was Kate's pick and it was a excellent one. The film is based on a Pulitzer-winning novel of the same name. If interested see the IMDB link provided for some reviews.

Prior to seeing the film Kate and I went to "The Chateau" in Waltham, which was convenient because the movie played at the Embassy Theater off of Moody St. I've had The Chateau's catered food, but I had never actually been to the original (or any other location) restaurant in Waltham. Tim Hayes had mentioned it several years back when he lived in Lowell with me, and I recall Scotty saying that his brother worked at the one up on 93 (In Andover?). Anyway it reminded me of Valle's restaurant that I used to go to as a kid. They used to have several locations, the last of which was in Portland next to the Westbrook exit. It was very much essentially the same sort of place, an old fashioned Americanized Italian restaurant where you can also get good steak and seafood. It served as great comfort food on a dreary day. Kate had ravioli, and I had chicken catchatori. The bread was nice and the restaurant had the type of atmosphere that made me feel as if I'd already been there a dozen times.

On the way out of Waltham I drove Kate by the 100 Beaver Street, where Genome Therapeutics once was. Genome was the first place I worked when I came to the Boston area, and now the building is empty and the business is gone. It was a bit sad. It was a vivid reminder of how fast time goes by and how transient and volatile the world in which we persist is.

Monday Kate & I again indulged in lunch. We went to Colombo's Pizza & Cafe in Reading which was excellent. It was a cute little Italian diner and coffee shop close to the commuter rail station in Reading. We got individual portions (Kate a calzone, myself a pizza), and bruschetta for an appetizer. We ended up with so much food, we likely will have enough for a couple more meals, and Kate & I got two boxes and divided it up.

Well.... work is likely to be a pain this week (thankfully it will be a short week) and I need to get to bed.