Bright Eyed and Bushy Tailed

After sleeping away much of the weekend, I can reflect more accurately upon the fun things that did happen last week:

1. Went out to dinner at Rocco with my girlfriends Heather and Gretchen -- and ordered grilled octopus salsa verde with a basil gimlet (or two) DELICIOUS
   
2. Went for sushi at lunchtime with my girlfriend Michele -- outdoors in the sunshine -- at California Rollin' 2 YUM
3. Spent a couple of hours at the Pittsford Pub on Thursday night catching up with the old neighborhood gang o' neer-do-wellers (most of whom are now, 30 years later, actually doing well)
4. Came home to a fire pit and relaxation with my next door neighbors while the kids played Jictapus (a tag-like game that they made up and which sounds really funny as they run around in the dark yelling "Jictapus" at each other)
   
5. Took Friday as a vacation day -- yes a vacation day! REST
   
6. Went out for Jamaican food with the hubby to celebrate 16 years of wedded bliss
   
7. Booked a trip with my mom and kids for Aruba next week YES Aruba next week -- a completely undeserved, over-the-top luxury
8. Started reading another fabulous book, Unaccustomed Earth, courtesy of my mom (who also gave me the Guernsey book that I loved) THANKS MOM
   
9. Rode bikes and played a family game of wiffle ball followed the next day by pitching a neighborhood game of wiffle ball
   
10. Did my wash! Amen amen.

Now it's back to work.

But the Jamaican meal, at Island Fresh Cuisine, was fresh, spicy and delicious. In my recently adopted quest to abandon the ordinary, I ordered curried goat which was absolutely to-die-for. (Actually, the goat did sacrifice his life for my meal. Sad.) The hubby had the escovitch fish which was good but not nearly as fantabulous as mine (sucker). We also shared a beef patty which was similar in nature to a hot empanada, fried plantains and complementary "festival sticks" which were tiny, fresh rolls lightly seasoned with cinnamon and nutmeg, I think. Sadly, the place is a) a bit pricey at $100 for two meals/drinks, b) somewhat dark as we were seated under a festive umbrella indoors, c) slow enough that I could have taken a nap at the table between courses and d) located in an otherwise deserted strip mall by the RIT campus which, being summer, was pretty much empty.

I hope they do well. In the kid-friendly, Crapplebees world in which we live, interesting meals are few and far between these days!