You'll not see nothing like the mighty Bru

Bruno saved the day (actually the night) last night.


Around midnight he started darting into the bedroom making his guttural meow, then darting back out. He did this for about a half hour or so. Steve and I both admitted later that we knew something was up, but we didn't want to get up so we decided that Bruno and Charlotte were just chasing each other. Eventually Bruno gave up on us. But a little while later I heard another meow and decided to see what was going on. I went into the guest bedroom to find that the window screen was pushed out and that Charlotte was missing! I yelled to Steve, who looked out our bedroom window to see Charlotte looking in at him. She had been on the roof for a half hour! She is such a brat! And without Bruno alerting us to the situation and then sitting calmly at the wide-open window to keep Charlotte company, we wouldn't have discovered her disappearance until the morning. Now this is a big deal, because the cats don't have their front claws so it's not really a good idea for them to get out.

Bruno has displayed this same heroic before - Charlotte was stuck in a coat closet for a few hours one day, and when Steve and I got home Bruno meowed and ran to the closet to let us know that Charlotte was in there. But has Charlotte ever helped Bruno? No way! Bruno was stuck upstairs for a few hours one day, and we never knew it until we went up on our own. Charlotte just stayed downstairs with us and purred, got pets, etc! She is such a brat and Bru is such a hero! But they're both cute.

-D

I got my birthday wish!

Rewatching the end of last week's Top Chef, I'm again impressed with the class and dignity that Manuel departed with. A lot of time those humble speeches sound fake and full of rhetoric, but his show of humility and accountability was admirable.

This week's quickfire challenge examined once again the concept of the The Pepsi Challenge. Even trained palettes cannot always identify the best ingredients from a mere taste, since the quality of many products are based on reasonable consumption, not small doses.

Zoi got rightfully sent home, fulfilling my birthday wish...and yet she and Jenn never faced the truth that she was only on the show because of the television value of featuring a lesbian couple. I agree that it is a nice twist, but I'm sure there are plenty of better ones out there in the talent pool.

The post-elimination outburst may have been the classic moment of Top Chef. Here's the play-by-play: Spike tore into immune Antonia because she talked their team out of making a soup, leading to their loss. Jenn then tore into Spike because her lover Zoi got the axe, as if it wasn't well deserved and long overdue. Dale threw in his two cents on Spike's behalf, Lisa yapped like a little dog, and Dale lit her up. Can't wait to watch it again next week!

Top Chef Archives

Now, onto more important things...the kittens got me a blue polo shirt for my birthday. Des got two little cakes for us, and she got me with the old trick candle! First time for that, and it was kind of cool. We split an Avery Pale Ale and a Dock Street Amber we've been saving from Total Wine in Delaware. Both were excellent. I'm a lucky guy! Thanks to everybody, friends and family, who sent birthday wishes!

-S

Update on the lost shoe

So apparently one of my classmates saw the shoe that I lost yesterday (see below) at 30th and Market Sts - right across the street from 30th St. Station. She thought 'hey, that looks like Desiree's shoe' but decided against picking it up, because who wants to pick up a random shoe on the street? I don't blame her at all! Unfortunately, the shoe wasn't there today, so it must be lost for good. On the other hand, I don't think I would have picked up the shoe even if I saw it there today and started wearing it again... yuck!

D

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Steve
Happy Birthday to Steve
Happy Birthday dear Ste-phen
Happy Birthday to Steve

Tomorrow is Steve's birthday - April 9. He'll be turning 29, so everyone tell him Happy Birthday and console him for no longer even being able to pretend that he is in his mid-20s.

Unfortunately, he has school tomorrow and won't be home until almost 10. But at least he has Top Chef to look forward to! And on Friday I will be taking him out to Bridget Foy's for a birthday dinner.

On a different subject, I lost a shoe today! I had two interviews for a co-op this summer and I also had school. So I wore a pair of comfortable flats to walk around in and carried my heels so my feet wouldn't hurt and the heels wouldn't rub off from walking on pavement. At the end of the day, I was walking from school to the train station and had my heels sticking out of my open briefcase-type bag. When I got on the train, I only had one! So if anyone happens to see a size 7 black heeled shoe somewhere on Market St or in 30th St Station, please let me know!

D