Love, Death and then some

Before I get to the "death" portion of this post, I'm going to talk about love. As in the recent holiday where we celebrate it : Valentines Day. Up until I met Noah, my vdays had been lackluster. Well, lackluster is a bit of an understatement actually. This vday lacked no luster at all. I had a great time. We did our vday the Friday before the actual day. We went to Church & Main for dinner after work, located at the corner of Church and Main street (get it?). Looking at the menu ahead of time, I was already pretty exited about the options. The only disappointment of that dining experience was the lack of a place to wait for a table. They literally left a three foot square for people to stand while they wait for a table, and it's cold outside. But we had reservations and were seated right away in the back corner. The ambiance was romantic, understated and simple. Dimmed track lighting, brick walls and floor to ceiling curtains that sectioned off various sections of the restaurant made me feel cozy right away. The waiter greeted us and took our orders for water (tap is fine with me!) as we perused the menu. The menus were heavy, obviously housing a solid menu. I started out with their "Russian punch". A delightful blend of Ketel One vodka, some sort of berry compote and topped off with bubbles. Kind of like a bellini with good vodka. This was already my kind of joint, I thought. We just HAD to try the poutine with bacon and bourbon gravy as an appetizer. The only other time I have ever tried poutine was arond 3:30 am on some little sketchy fast food place after stumbling out of a club in Montreal. Even then it was decent. This poutine was absolutely amazing, a true comfort food of sorts. Hand cut fries that were slightly crunchy and hot, but not greasy. Melted bit of cheese curd topped off with the bacon bourbon gravy. Easily one of the best gravies I have ever had. Slightly creamy with just enough but not too much taste of the title ingredients. I would probably go back to Church & Main just for that dish. For my entree, I had the lobster mac & cheese. The waiter had asked if I wanted bacon in it too, but I held off on that decadence. Good mac & cheese is probably my ultimate comfort food. Lobster mac & cheese could be considered a little bit of heaven for me, if done right. I had not found a lobster mac & cheese that rivaled the decadence and perfection of Our House (one of my favorite places to eat comfort food)....until Church & Main. Slightly sharp cheese perfection with large bits of perfectly cooked lobster claws and tail mixed in brought it right up to my "best mac & cheese" list. I could only finish about half of it. But leftovers are a wonderful thing. Based on that one visit, I would place Church & Main atop the best restaurants in Burlington, at least for contemporary american cuisine.

Leaving our new found favorite restaurant, with full bellies and the satisfaction of a restaurant that had lived up to it's hype, we made a pit stop at our favorite after work Thursday spot, Drink. Enough time to squeeze in a Candy Cosmo and a quick chat with the bartender and we were off to the second part of the evening. 

Off to see Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. Always promising a dancin' good time, Sharon Jones funked her way through the set with a green sequined tank bringing random people up on to the stage to dance with her. It was a fantastic time. Wonderful Valentine's day, all around (oh ya and I did get flowers vday morning, not to brag or anything). 

The Thursday after Sharon Jones was time for our next musical fun time - Big Gigantic. Definitely one of my favorite acts to see live, seeing them twice before I knew they would bring their best, like they do every time. It was interesting to see them grow and gain popularity in the 7 months since I had seen them last. They sold out the big room at Higher Ground, and brought a set of multi-colored spotlights atop giant stacked light up cubes. The show was amazing, with new tracks flying out left and right and Dominic Lolli killin' it on the sax, can't wait to see them again.

So, anyway...about halfway in to the Big Gigantic show I get a text. My grandmother had passed away at 11:22 pm that night. Her health had been declining for some time now so there was nothing shocking about this news, just sort of untimely that I happened to be at a crazy super fun show. I was a little sad, but enjoyed the rest of the night. I didn't really cry much at all over the next couple days and was questioning whether or not I had been compassionate enough or really needed to mourn more. I came to the conclusion that when death is pretty expected, it's really not all that sad. She had 84 years here, but the last 5 were rough. When I saw her last in December she was completely "checked out". She was there, physically, but not responding to anyone, just staring off in to the distance blankly. The only time I got sad about her death is heading down to Boston for the funeral, watching my aunts and uncles cry for her. People I had never seen cry in my entire life had an effect on me. 

Back from the weekend in Boston, with Noah by my side, we're unpacking and moving his things in. My son has his own room, which he seems to like a little too much, and we've really enjoyed getting to spend every night together for the past week.

Some new fun tracks for you. Heard this first one during "intermission" at the Big Gigantic show. Come to find out the mix was crafted by a 16 year old!

Wolfgang Gartner - Anthology Mashup (Madeon Mix) by obibongkenobi

And a new track from Royksopp, very enjoyable

Keyboard Milk by Röyksopp