Home Alone

Its been a little over 2 weeks that I am Home Alone - and I seriously hate it.
I remember watching "Home Alone" when I was in school and all I could think of was the independence and sheer thrill to be Home Alone - my very own adventure and I get to be the protagonist.  Who would have known then that Independence is overrated and is not so much fun if you don't have to fight for it!

I work out of home nowadays and though it keeps me busy throughout the day my high point of the day would be when Mr. P(THE HUSBAND) comes home and we get our hot cuppa and chat about all things under the sun. The weeknights are spent cooking dinner together, sharing it, picking on some fancy destination and making a travel plan even if we don't have any vacation days or most importantly Moolah to even remotely make it happen. Some days its office work which he brings in and though the calls are a tad too long I somehow like to read my storybook amidst all the chaos.( I guess it reminds me of home! )
We end our weeknights with movies ( our weeknight favorite - the Poirot Series)

I remember our discussions on one such evening where I had animatedly said that our life was so mundane , so very routine. I had then perhaps unknowingly wished for "Change" - and so Voila Change it is... I now crave for my mundane routine in this small city of St Louis with my best friend. I am not regretting the Change - its perhaps a realization of the small nothings which really collectively make a beautiful Something.

Even though I follow the same routine now , everyday at just about 5:30 PM I feel as if there is going to be a very familiar knock on the door and it is going to be P -all set for our weeknight adventure(Routine) to begin. Till I await my knock here's hoping you have a "Boring evening with a Beautiful Someone " or perhaps the otherway round. Take your pick!
  
 A Lesson Learnt : BORING IS BEAUTIFUL!

"Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood".~ Hellen Keller

 

Beat the Heat with Ted Drewes!

These days when the daily highs in our small city, St Louis crosses the 100 F mark with ease and neither chilled iced tea nor the AC makes you feel relaxed we decided to brave the heat and enjoy St Louis special Frozen Custard from Ted Drewes .

 We went to the Chippewa Street location which although was a tin shack and nothing impressive we saw a 100 odd people queued up on a Wednesday night. Kids dipping their spoons and eating the buttery gooey custard and instant delight on their faces.

Their main selling items are the sundae and the "Concrete" ( so named because you can turn your cup upside down and the custard wont fall down! )

As always, there were numerous options for Sundae's with toppings like nuts ,berries, caramel and loads of other fun options  both sweet and salty which could satisfy a host of cravings. We finally chose the "Terramizzou" which had chocolate and pistachio nuts. And oh my gawd!! did we like it...After just 5 minutes it was all lapped up and we decided to try another one. - "Southern Delight Concrete with Praline nuts" .Of course, my Concrete was melting pretty fast and so the upside-down cup would'nt work for me.  However, the dessert was excellent and I am not complaining.

It was delicious and refreshing on a hot humid day. 

Ted Drewes is a St Louis Institution and rightly so. It is the best custard in town - and am sure after a visit it will leave you drooling for more.Have a wonderful summer everyone!

Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it.  ~Russel Baker

My Oscar Movie Watchlist : Midnight in Paris

After a stressful day at work, people do various things to relax - listening to some soft music, grabbing a drink etc. I like to watch movies. Good, positive movies. Couple of months back, there was one such day and I enjoyed watching Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris". 

This is a romantic comedy about an American couple (Owen Wilson & Rachel McAdams) who come to visit Paris and have some remarkable and really strange experiences that change the course of their entire lives. The movie is essentially about these characters, love, and what else?  - About Paris!


The movie opens with some beautiful snapshots of Paris - a touristic montage and it looks apt as the lead actors are an American couple on a vacation to Paris. What really appealed to me is that the movie talks about an illusion “It’s the present. It’s dull” - that we all want to escape to another time and place; could be our childhoods or perhaps another century altogether.

The cast I must say is terrific. Owen Wilson really comes through as the dreamy writer who's personal life is in a state of mess. It's amazing to watch his reactions on everything going around him.
It also has some wonderful cameos from A-listers.

Without delving deeper into the story in fear of revealing it - my recommendation is to sip some hot coffee on a cold evening when there isn't much to do and travel to where else ... but "Paris"..