etymology of boston = st. botolph's town

Did you know that? We learned that from the framed informational thingy hanging in the foyer of our INCREDIBLY snazzy little apartment/hotel what we are staying in, which frankly if I did not own one and a half housefuls of junk of my own, had no dependents (I am counting both my baby and my post-recent-appendectomy babydaddy in that designation), lots of spare cash, no employment obligations, and a desire to up and move to Boston, I would move into tomorrow. It's called "The Inn at St. Botolph's" (which in Bostonian is prounounced St. ButOFFs, as in move your buttOFF my chair) and is just the niftiest most stylish little compact urban living space EVUH and I LOVE IT. I would post pics, but i'm too lazy. So you'll just have to believe me.

It turns out that we were not quite at maximum gluttony during the montreal phase of the trip, since we did take the occasional time-out from eating to go for a daily dip in the hotel pool (for example). Ooh! that reminds me: baby has a new trick! It's kind of freaky, because it makes you think that she actually sort of understands words, when really there's no way she possibly can, right? what we do is this: she sits on the edge of the pool in all her glorious little fatness, and I count to three, and on three, she launches herself off the edge of the pool into my arms with a cannonball splash and when she hits the water she looks extremely startled, and then super pleased with herself, like HEY! check me OUT! I just found a cure for AIDS!" and laughs like a drain and clearly wants to do it again.)

So anyway, as I was saying, turns out we were not at maximum high-quality calorie consumption in Montreal, because we have actually increased both the quality and quantity of calories consumed since arriving in Boston, if only because our nifty snazzy teeny tiny hotel/apartment does not have a pool, so we spend the extra half hour per day eating instead. here is a list of what I have eaten:

Dinner the night we arrived: the best saag paneer and aloo paratha I have ever had in my LIFE (and I have eaten a lot of saag paneer and aloo paratha in my life. Every time I go out for Indian food, I think, "I should get something other than saag paneer. I always get saag paneer." And then I think, "But I really LIKE saag paneer," so I just get saag paneer, and it's usually pretty good, which reinforces my desire for saag paneer the next time I go out for indian food, but Imight never be able to get saag paneer again because it would never be as seriously scrumptious as this was. I think they sprinkled crack in it.)

Continental breakfast at snazzy hotel: yoghurt, bagel, OJ

Brunch out with nice friend people: tarragon chicken salad, soda bread with raisins, salad

Dinner at more nice friend people's house: grilled sea bass, delicious salad, more wine than advisable

Post dinner: pistachio icecream

First breakfast this morning: continental snazzy hotel bagel, yoghurt, OJ again

Second breakfast with nice friend people: cinnamon bun and part of a lemon ginger scone

Lunch with nice friend people: salumi plate, sweet pea & mushroom gnocchi, delicious rabbit dish that got sent from the kitchen accidentally, and for pudding shortbread with lemon semifreddo and blackberries yummmmmmmmmmmmm

Dinner tonight will be relatively restrained: leftover Indian food, I think. with maybe some leftover cinnamon bun and strawberries for pudding.

I had the morning off from babyduty this morning, which was lovely: I went to the MFA to go and moon over the Singer Sargents, and I ended up doing some unexpected mooning over some of the other 19th century American painters. A lot of the 19th century French stuff is too insipid and simpering for me, but some of the American stuff is great. I also had the lovely surprise of running into a Velazquez that i hadn't known was there - the portrait of the grumpy middleaged Don Luis de Gongora y Argote:

and you see it from across the room and think, holy shit I know that painting.I savoured the darley boit girls:and didn't let myself look at them until I had gone around the whole rest of the room that they are in. Such a truly excellent interesting painting.

So sweet to be tucked up in bed on a rainy afternoon full of good food and art with babydaddy asleep next to me and baby in her Captain America outfit (red trousers, blue t-shirt with white star on it) now awake and wriggling away trying to help me. OK time to rescue her - she has gotten herself wedged between the pillows and is squeaking.