Alive and Well-Socked

Sorry about that.

I'm alive.  Really.

I just got back from a business jaunt to a conference in Santa Fe.  There's this one organization I'm in that gives good conference.  Last year it was Miami, this year Santa Fe.  However, it's kind of weird how both times it was unseasonably cold.

Can I tell you how much I love New Mexican food?  I love New Mexican food.  Several of my conference buddies complained bitterly about having the same kind of food over and over, but I was in heaven.  Comida sin chile no es comida.  When I was able to order my food "Christmas" (meaning with both red and green chile), I was thrilled.  And if you're ever in Santa Fe, just install yourself in the Plaza Cafe and work your way through the menu.  It's cheap, it's delicious, it's friendly, and, well, I just wish every place in the world served sopaipillas on the side with a squeeze bottle of honey.  My main question is why there aren't New Mexican restaurants all over the country.  Really, it's the best food going.  I missed the fam and was ready to come home, but I really wish I could just teleport to the Plaza every day for lunch.  Maybe breakfast too.  Sigh.

I finished all the pieces of Elizabeth and need to block and seam her and then knit the neckline.  I live in fear that this sweater is going to be tragically unflattering, so, like a rational and intelligent knitter, I'm pretending it doesn't exist.  Isn't that the proper reaction when a sweater you knitted at a gauge of >6sts/in might be unwearable?  I thought so. 

Instead, I've been concentrating on low cognitive demand knitting.  Socks.  There have been many socks in recent weeks, and my feet are happy.  I have thoughts about sweaters--heck, I even bought yarn for Am Kamin (talk about high cognitive demand knitting!), but socks are just about perfect right now.

We have the world's greatest houseguest at the moment, so life is good, and we even had a chance to go out to dinner thanks to her.  Henry has fallen hard (apparently the other day he said he was "snorkeling in the love pond"), and the dog is convinced her life will be this good forever.  Nobody is going to be happy when she goes off to the next rotation.  Plus, how often do you get to talk about socks while watching dumb tv every night?  Even poor Rhys is putting up with the yarn talk and enjoying her presence.  January will be all too short.

Photos at some point.  Promise...

Comments

[Lucia]

You got to eat New Mexican food *and* come home to Kristen? I am as green as your chile.

Socks are way in these days.

[Juno]

Oh my god - is that the place with the outside tables. The sopapillas are to die for. Santa Fe is amazing with or without food.

Was starting to worry - but assumed would have heard if actual badness had taken place. Full of houseguest envy - terrible, terrible houseguest envy. Wonder if she would consider doing rotation down here?

Sigh.

Miss you.

[JoVE]

Cool sweater. I obviously live in some cave that I don't see these things. But all your suggestions are coming to fruition in my house.

I think your response to concerns about Elizabeth is about right. You did some thinking as you went along. It might be wedding-eve cold feet to use a really bad metaphor (or is that an analogy).

Glad you are well and busy and Henry is happy.

[Jessica]

I stayed right by the Plaza when I was in Santa Fe several years ago. We went for dinner one night and loved it so much we went back the second night. I had unseasonably cold weather too. We went in April and it snowed every day.

[The Feminist Mafia]

I was beginning to wonder about you. Glad to hear it's all fun and games and food and friends.
Smooch.

[Cassie]

Ah, socks, dumb TV, and good company.... it sounds like heaven (and I'm with you on the food, I got hungry just reading about it).

[Carrie]

Snorkelling in the love pond? I think that's the funniest thing I've heard this year.
Did you eat at Gardunos? With the open faced, green-chile and cheese enchiladas? I haven't been in Santa Fe for ten years, but I still dream about those enchiladas.

[Stephanie]

There's a chapter in Calvin Trillin's _Feeding a Yen_ that's all about New Mexican food. I just read it last week and between the two of you, I'm starting to think about booking a flight.

[Carole]

I just finished lunch and yet you still managed to make me hungry. Thanks so much.

[Lee Ann]

I eat curry for breakfast sometimes, so I suppose New Mexican food for breakfast wouldn't be a long shot...

No, French guy is not horrified about the curry for breakfast. That's because he doesn't know. I wait until he leaves before I eat it :-)

I missed you to the point of whining loudly about it to anyone who would listen.

[margene]

Most of my best food memories are in Santa Fe. Someday I'll have to tell the story about the tapas bar. The plaza is a very memorable place and I second Lucia...you had food that good and came home to Kristen? Lucky you!

[Judi]

I am from NM and still LOOOOOOOVE the food there. It is the only place in the world that you can ask for chile rellenos for breakfast and no one thinks it odd. I am very glad you are back and that things are going well.

[Bethany]

Mmmm... sopapillas... mmmmmmm!

[Riin]

I've never had sopaipillas so I started reading the wiki, and I thought, hey, that sounds like fry bread, and then it said it's similar to Native American fry bread. So there you go. There may not be New Mexican restaurants all over, but you can probably go to any pow wow anywhere and get fry bread. Mmm...fry bread... (The pow wow every March in Ann Arbor always has it!)

[Kimberly]

I so miss sopaipillas!! I have yet to find a person in New England that knows what they are, let alone know where they are served.
=:8

[Em]

For what it's worth, sopaipillas are easy to make. I married a NM person, you know. The hard part is eating them after you know about the ingredients.

That sweater is going to cause nightmares for me. I knit socks because I know they will fit and be flattering.

Also, snorkelling in the love pond is so adorable.

[Ruth]

"Snorkelling in the love pond". I adore Henry.