May 23 and 24: Lucky Penny Day, Escargot Day

These turned out to be tricky.

For Lucky Penny Day on Monday I carried around one that I found at the restaurant; I've uncovered plenty of unlucky ones while sweeping and such on the job, so this was a keeper! I found it about three weeks ago and kept it all this time especially for this day. Win? I think so.

Escargot Day...different story. I spent all day roaming the beaches and boardwalks of Maryland and Delaware yesterday, and the area isn't known for its fine French cuisine. In any case, I haven't yet entertained a serious thought about eating snails.

When I saw Anthony Bourdain back at the DuPont Theater in February, he spent a while talking about the origins of the foods many of us eat now. His story about the origins of escargot was especially entertaining. "Let me tell you, it wasn't the rich guys that ate snails first," he chuckled. He makes a good point; most it wasn't the cooks at Versailles that were picking snails off the plants in the hedge maze. It was likely the guys on the farms who had given all of their meat to the palace that went around scrounging their backyards for some protein. Only when word got out that snails were pretty tasty with some garlic, butter and white wine, and then presumably gathered to the point that they became hard to find, did they become a delicasy.

Well, they can keep it. I've tried a lot of new things in the past few years (most recently, veal and bone marrow) but I think I'll stay away from snails for a while. But, let's be honest, I'm like Anthony in this respect; if I'm in someone's home and they put it in front of me, I'm so mortified at the idea of being rude that I wouldn't refuse. Similarly, if I ever find myself in a really, really good restaurant and the chef sends out some escargot, it's getting eaten. Who knows, it may happen someday.

But, I spent the day eating Subway for lunch, and pizza and salad for dinner. Budget traveling at its finest, my friends. And by the way, who puts bacon on a ceasar salad? This caused problems, as half of my traveling companions yesterday are vegetarians. Has anyone heard of such a thing?

By the way, I JUST remembered this All That sketch from my childhood. Kenan at his finest years before SNL, my friends. "Everyday French with Pierre Escargot!" Probably very offensive to actual French people.

Days 19-22: Not Going So Well

Oh dear, life got the best of me this weekend. I have not succeeded in celebrating anything other than self-indulgence. I spent all weekend visiting my wonderful Aunt Chelle, and not only does she spoil me rotten but I didn't think I should drag her into my blogging nonsense. So, I give you an account of how the past few days went down:

Thursday, May 19: Boys' Club Day.
What does that even mean?! I had no idea. It so happened to be the same day that I got a much-needed haircut. Therefore, I hearby christen May 19 as GET A HAIRCUT, HIPPIE Day.

Friday, May 20: Be a Millionaire Day/ Pick Strawberries Day
How the heck do I just be a millionaire for a day? And maybe strawberry picking would be an easier task had it not been on a weekday, when 90% of us work. Geez, people. Poor planning much?

Saturday, May 21; National Waiters and Waitress' Day
Now this one, I really did try. Before I left work on Friday, I sat down and made two little cards out of construction paper, decorating them with clip art and kind words for the servers I planned to give them to the following day. During Aunt Chelle weekends, eating out at least once is essential. But once we got to Ponzio's, my favorite Jersey diner, in Cherry Hill, I realized that the cards were still sitting at home in my duffle. Womp womp. I didn't have them when we went to Francesco's for dinner, either. Fail.

Saturday, May 22: Buy a Musical Instrument Day
I'd had the best of intentions to go to the Dollar Store and buy a kazoo, or something like that. But, as I stayed with Aunt Chelle until the last minute yesterday, that didn't really work out either. Poo. But I rocked out in the car all the way home and fantasized about the instruments I wish I could play; does that count a little bit? I also dragged out my old flute (I played in elementary and middle school, until I discovered how much I despised marching band) to see if I could still produce anything remotely like music; and I can!

I'll try to do better for you, dear readers. You deserve so much more.

Day 17: Pack Rat Day

Pretty self explanatory. I didn't throw anything except food waste away. It was hard! I had to wait until the next day to toss or recyle anything...made me slightly aware of how much waste the average person produces.

I am not a pack rat, nor will I ever be.

This was really dull. "Holiday" my ass.

May 18: International Museum Day

Well, dear readers, because of my work hours i was unable to visit a museum on Wednesday. In order to celebrate, I will now attempt to list every museum I've ever been to. Wish me luck.

At Home:



-Delaware Museum of Natural History

-Hagley Museum and Library (frequented, as my grandmother works here)-Longwood Gardens, Chadds Ford, PA -Winterthur Estate (Grammy works here too!)
-The Read House, Old New Castle, DE

• A historical family home that demonstrates life in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries



Hanging out with Abe in Gettysburg

-Smithsonian Museums, Washington, DC: American History, Air and Space, Natural History

-Philadelphia Art Museum

-Franklin Institute Philadelphia

-Independence Hall & The Liberty Bell, Philadelphia

-National Constitution Center, Philadelphiaaaa

-Fort Delaware, Pea Patch Island, DE

-Gettysburg Battlefield Museum, Gettysburg, PA

-The Marble House and The Breakers, both of Newport, RI

-We really tried to do the Edgar Allen Poe house in Baltimore, but it was closed :(

Abroad:

-Jane Austen's House, Chawton, UK

• Highlight: Jane's writing desk, upon which she likely wrote "Pride and Prejudice," among others.

-The Tower of London, UK

• Highlight: The Crown Jewels
• Highlight: The Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula is where Anne Boleyn and other nobles were laid to rest after their executions.

-The Victoria and Albert Museum, London

• Highlight: a gallery full of historical costume
• The Japanese gallery, full of clothing, weaponry and art

-The British Library, London (Actually, not sure if this counts)
-The Museum of Natural History, London

• Highlight: Earthquake simulator on the upper floor




Beautiful Warwick Castle


• Highlight: The life-sized blue whale swimming through the main gallery

-Mauritshuis Gallery, The Hague, The Netherlands

• Highlight: Girl With a Pearl Earring, my all-time favorite painting, is housed here. Another Vermeer, view of Delft, calls this place home as well.

-Edinburgh Castle, Scotland, UK

-Warwick Castle, UK
-Shakespeare's birthplace and his wife Anne Hathaway's cottage, Stratford-upon-Avon, UK

• Highlight: I mean...Shakespeare was BORN in that room. What more could you want?

-Lanhydrock Estate, Cornwall, UK
-Roman Baths, Bath, UK
-Jane Austen Museum, Bath, UK
-Chatsworth Estate, Derbyshire, UK
-The Acaddemia, Florence, Italy

• Highlight: Michaelangelo's statue of David. I was a lot more impressed than I had expected to be.

Do cathedrals count? Probably not, since they're still used for services...but if we count historic churches/cathedrals, I also have:

-Gloucester Cathedral, UK
-El Duomo in Florence
-Cathedral of Saint Catherine, Siena, Italy
-Notre Dame (Paris)
-Sacre Coeur (Also in Paris)
-Saint Chapelle (You guessed it, Paris)
-St. John the Divine in New York City
-American Cathedral (yet again, Paris)

Dang, I get around.

Day 16: Purple for Peace Day/Love a Tree Day!



Not my tree, but very similar.



Umm I wore purple. Easy enough. I could have gone all out and worn purple eyeshadow, purple underwear, etc, but I serve the public, after all, and have to keep it toned down. Besides, nobody would've known if I was wearing purple underwear anyway.



And why not take a moment to reflect on my favorite tree? It is the first tree I can remember really climbing; it stands in the yard of our cottage in Hack's Point, Maryland, a petite-limbed red maple. As I got older I climbed higher and higher, until finally I was so high up that if I tried to keep climbing, the branches wouldn't support my weight. But there's a nice swing there now that my sister built with a rope and a single plank, and the tree still enjoys use to this day.

There's also a nice tree in my backyard, another variety of maple, that I used to frequent; it had a low-hanging limb that was perfect for swinging oneself up into the branches; until my brother's crazy dog chewed it off. Seriously. But I used to go up there on spring days with a book and an apple and stay up there for what seemed like forever.

Favorite tree, anyone?

Day 15: Chocolate Chip Day!

Next year, dear readers. Next year.

I realized a little too late on Sunday that it was Chocolate Chip Day. I'd honestly forgotten. I had made plans to make chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, or cookies before I went to work, but nooo I just had to get up early to go shopping with my mom and sister (and buy cute new summer clothes) and then rush off to work! So by the time I got home I was exhausted and in no mood to bake. But behold; a jar of baby chocolate chips in the cupboard, for use as an ice cream topping! Screw that. I can't eat icecream. I ate those things by the handful like they were M&M's minis. (Tons of chocolate candy searching for a mouth!) Next year, I will do better!

Day 14: International Migratory Bird Day

Here are some pictures of migratory birds that (however temporarily) reside in my area. I did not get a chance to celebrate.

Northern cardinal

Canada Geese

 

 

Baby barn swallows

And here is a map of North American flyways:

Fail.