Post 3430 - Sunday

Hello.

Past 10pm.

I'm sorry I haven't written for a few days, and further sorry that the posts in the days leading up to Thursday were so brief.

I was on that pre-retirement course on Monday and Tuesday. Both evenings, I transcribed audio files for a true crime article that goes live on the Frank Magazine website Monday morning. Tuesday night I also interviewed the widow of a man who was murdered in Halifax some time ago. That was for a second true crime article, which I hope will go up for the issue in two weeks time. I also spent time working on two other shorter true crime pieces for a future Frank. Of course, I have produced a radio/media column, which goes up tomorrow. Been busy.

The few days of vacation I took were restful but perhaps not in the way you might think. I did some things I don't normally get a chance to do, things which people might think are hard work, but were enough of a change from my job that I enjoyed doing them.

Friday, after work, Patricia and I went to dinner at the Five Fishermen restaurant in the downtown. Early anniversary dinner. We hadn't gone there in several years. It used to be our fave place to for a special dinner.  But, I don't think I am ready to go back there, ever again.

For a long time, they had a free salad bar and mussel bar. You could fill up on that and not notice how small the portions were on your main course. But they got rid of that stuff "a few years ago", unbeknownst to us.

We had had a very poor lobster dinner in Pictou this summer during vacation, so I opted for that. The knuckles and claws were already open for my eating pleasure. Asparagus for the veg. Fingerling potatoes. I told the server, Jack, that I did not like fingerling potatoes and asked for a substitution. "How about garlic mashed?", he asked. I said sure.

Patricia went for a combo plate called Five Fish. She also opted for a large glass of Tidal Bay wine. Turns out that "tidal bay" is a unique-to Nova Scotia variety of wine. There are a couple dozen wineries in Nova Scotia, most of them in the Valley; and these wineries all vie to be able to sell that kind of wine. Not all wineries get to do that. I wonder how bitter the wineries are that don't get that distinction in a given year?

There were dried up, wizened little scones and not enough butter to sustain them.

Our food came. The lobster was all right for what it was. The fingerling potatoes were there, and Jack immediately made that right. A couple of minutes later, a small portion of garlic mashed potatoes was delivered. They were edible, as was the lobster, as was the asparagus.

I asked for a small side of scallops. I got 3 or 4, overcooked in my estimation.

For dessert, we got a frangeline tart, which is a tart with pears and blueberries and shit. We shared that.

The service was fine. The one whoops was fixed, and everybody is allowed a whoops from time to time. But the food was disappointing. I figure if I can cook better scallops than what was presented to me, if I can prepare better garlic mashed potatoes than the dollop that was put in front of me, then maybe I can make that stuff at home for far less money.

With taxes and tip, dinner came to about $165.

I can think of other ways to spend that money. You know, like flushing it down the toilet. I think from now on we will go to another seafood restaurant in Halifax. There is no shortage of them.

Saturday morning, we drove to the Valley to check out the Bevboy family estate. It was fine, of course. We ended up having dinner at Soonhan Sushi in New Minas. for less than 25% of what I paid for dinner Friday night, Patricia and I enjoyed as much fresh sushi as we could consume. Absolutely love that place. Our thanks to Mel Sampson for mentioning that place in a recent Facebook post. It is next door to a former used clothing place that I took my mother to for several years. It was never open when we were there, so I never sampled it. Alas and alack.

From there, we went to the IGA or whatever it's called, in Wolfville. Being Saturday night, they mark stuff down like crazy. We got some chicken for half price, 30% off back bacon, half price eggs. I got a sammich for my lunch tomorrow for half off. Because it was marked down 50%, it will taste twice as good. It just works out that way.

We returned to the city, during a snow fall. Got home about 8:30. Turned in early.

Today, we didn't do that much. I did the dishes and moved some stuff around the living room. Washing some clothes now.

Back to work tomorrow. Only been off for a week, but it seems longer somehow.

You guys take care of yourselves. See you tomorrow.

Bevboy