01. And the first week of 2023 went something like this

Brunches, Bloody Marys & best friends all around

On Sunday, I woke up to a new year. Matt and I rang 2023 in with his friends in the city, so we got breakfast at Sabrina’s Cafe before heading home. After a night of celebrating, my hankering for a full stack of pancakes and a side of bacon was strong. Matt got his usual Sabrina’s order, Mel’s Chicken Cutlet Sandwich. Breakfast cured only half of my hangover; a full day of doing nothing but a puzzle cured the rest. Dad and I spent about three hours on it. More wine! At some point we ate dinner: pork sandwiches with sauerkraut. 

With another Monday off from work, the best thing to do was call Bridget. We ran errands together, and then drove to Trenton to pick Maura up from the train. Bridget, in the middle of cleaning out her closet, had a pile of clothes in her room just waiting for Maura and me to dig through (we do this a few times a year). She made us a snack spread — raviolis, Chex Mix and peanut butter chocolate cups — and the two of us went home with some new garb. By the way, what do you think the plural of “ravioli” is? It’s up for debate around here. 

This Tuesday felt like a Monday. I enjoyed my four-day weekend with friends and family, which really turned on the Sunday Scaries. I like my job a lot, but at the end of the day, it is work. I had a granola bar at my desk for breakfast because I couldn’t find the box of bananas I usually reach for when I’m in the office (which is every day of the week). Lunch was put out around 11, and I ate roasted turkey smothered in gravy and some salad. An early lunch always makes the day go by slowly; I kept myself busy in hopes of it flying by. Maura and I were on our own for dinner — she made tuna salad and I made the salad that we had last Monday with a side of two eggs. Snuck a workout in, did a face mask and snacked on a bag of microwavable popcorn (top tier snack) while typing up some recipes from my grandmother — my hope is to send a pretty little booklet to my family when I’m through with the project. My dad and his friend from college showed us videos from their post-grad era that night too. Somehow Dad made himself a home movie star while doing yard work with his fraternity brothers. And for all you out there who knew my father in the ’80s: yes, he did use Sun-In back then. I also claimed this cool Sally’s Apizza poster that I found in the basement during my workout.

On Wednesday I built 200 tiny boxes at work for the client appreciation gift. Cheddar bacon shortbread cookies will go into them — and that’s just one per of the gift. I selfishly hope someone doesn’t accept it and I’ll get to take one home. At 5pm, I sprinted towards 30th Street in pursuit of the 5:12 train. I made it but not without my wallet flying out of my tote bag. Luckily I noticed and was able to save it from losing me forever. From the train, Maura and I met Bridget in Ambler for trivia night at Tannery Run. We came in last place and had fun doing it. We split the garlic parm Brussels sprouts to start, and Bridget and I both tried orange cinnamon hard seltzers. Maura opted for the Montco Mule — who can blame her with a name like that? I ate a large bowl of beer infused chili, which probably wasn’t the best pick on a night reminiscent of spring. 

I woke up on Thursday feeling rested, but shortly after returning from a site visit with my boss, exhaustion struck. And an early lunch didn’t help; I had a veggie burger with fresh potato chips. The afternoon was full of more desk work, and in an effort to stay awake I took a few laps around the building — it helped. I felt like I could use an even longer one, so I told Maura to pick me up later than usual from the train station because I’d be taking the later one from Suburban. One thing I miss almost about living in Manhattan are the walks. Philadelphia is a walkable city, I’d say, but it’s got nothing on New York. Needless to say, I’m excited to walk to and from work when I move (hopefully soon). I’ve returned to reading on the train and am aiming to read twenty five books by the end of it. Please recommend away! My book club is currently reading The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager — page-turner for sure. 

Friday was a regular workday — not much to report on other than some of my work friends being back from their holiday breaks. That evening, Maura and I ate dinner at Bridget’s where she and her parents cooked the chicken piccata they learned to make at a cooking class — I’ve been dying to join them at one. Maura and I supplied the wine and dessert (a tiny bundt cake), and we danced the night away in Bridget’s living room. Take a glimpse at it if you’re interested.

On Saturday I took the train into the city to meet up with some friends. Maeve is moving to Boston next week, so we sent her off with a Bloody Mary tour brunch that turned into an entire day. We had Bloodys at Silk City Diner, North 3rd and Jerry’s Bar (my favorite was the second). Then we took a much needed break at Grace’s apartment where we ate DiGiorno’s for dinner. We met up with some of her other friends at a Center City bar, and then we took the train home.