Day 31

It's the first day of fall. I really wish I shared everyone's sentiments for loving fall and all, but I don't. The days get shorter and colder and friends go into hibernation mode. The only hour of sunlight is the one going to the office (bleh) and maybe lunch, if you do that sort of thing, outside the office, in the cold. Though fall doesn't entirely suck: I don't mind changing our clocks back. Maybe I used to like fall, but I think I look forward to the summer more nowadays. Summer hours at work, long sunlit days, and everyone just feeling happy because it's summer--now that's good stuff. (Fine, I'll concede that summer is hot, but most of us work in air-conditioned buildings, so it's not like we're farming or working in sweat shops like our forebears.)

So it's been raining so much, and Gilt was selling Hunter rain boots for $75, so I bought a pair. They're taller and lighter/more flexible than my old JCrew pair. I also have a pair from Target, but I don't love the way they feel. Anyone want a pair of size 7 rain boots?

Happily, I got to wear my rain boots tonight when we went to Mitsuwa for dinner with Chris. It was the second day of the Hokkaido Festival at Mitsuwa. We got regular and spicy miso ramen from the special ramen chef that they flew in from Japan. Unfortunately, I don't think it was the greatest ramen. (The ramen at the festival over the summer was so good. The flavor layers were so deep.) If you have to choose one ramen from this festival though, I'd recommend the spicy miso.

I saw Evita, who I went to dance school with in grammar school and part of high school and went to high school and college with, and met her husband. They were there to get the special ramen too. It was really nice seeing her. 

We also ate the giant shrimp shumai and giant squid shumai. (They were tasty and so deliciously crisp and oily--I preferred the shrimp though the squid tasted very similar.) We shared a curry pan (yum pan!) and a baked creamy scallop pan (mmm pan!). We also had some snow-crab sushi. I think there are still a few other treats to eat, but I was stuffed. Unfortunately, the people with the Hokkaido milk-flavored and pear-flavored soft-serve ice creams were not there this year. 

We hung out with Chris and Zara until my mom got home from work. Then we headed to NYC with our car. On the right side of our street you can park on the weekends (on the left, it's just Sundays). We found a spot, and Jon successfully parallel parked. (Parallel parking is hard! So props.) He's figuring out how to make a no-knead bread.

Doris and Matt are visiting tomorrow! DorMatt! Moris!