Eat With Pills

That's right, more than three years later (see bike if you're late to this party) and I still have something to say.

So what have I been doing with myself these many days? Well, I finally broke down and went to the feared Chiropractor and though I did also finally quit my job which has no doubt led to rise in health and lowering in stress and other problems, I must admit that the Chiro is the key to happiness and pain relief. Seriously.

Sure it's scary every time they "adjust" me, sure the warning of my old PT (remember? the one about the spine out of place) races through my head every time I'm in there, sure I'm sore as hell for two days after, but My God does it work. And they massage me and stretch me and check my alignment and it's all good. So I have to say, and yes I will shout it to make sure I am heard, and yes it's long overdue:

I LO+VE MY CHIROPRACTORS (two in the office) - THEY HAVE HELPED ME MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE - I AM ALMOST PAINLESS, but still painful to others.

Now I'll tell you how I ended up there: I followed the advice of an amazing masseuse who works in a number of places including the wonderful Soho Sanctuary (women only in this beautiful space and please shut the hell up if you go and obey the no phone rule). This massage therapist also works at my beloved chiropractor where she finds the tendermost points of my QL and Erector Spinae, the latest body part I never new existed. If I could figure out how to get Internet connected to this laptop (one of B's old ones), I could show you where it is and even give you some science. You'll just have to check back for that update.

Anyway, as you can guess, I am so so so much better yet not quite whole. Yesterday I did 20 minutes of various "programs" on our fancy new elliptical machine. I always start out backwards as I find the thing a bit complicated. Today I did 25 "interval" minutes. Sweaty. I have to clean up some other pages now. Be back later.

News of the Day: the earth is hotter than it's been in 400 years; humans to blame

Tonight my dad took B and I to an incredible Chinese (Szechuan, Hunan, Shanghai and Cantonese) restaurant in CT:

I want to find something better, especially since the reporter says she does not have a taste for "unfamiliar ethnic flavors" which makes me question why she's a reviewer, and why she'd go to an excellent flavor-rich restaurant, and also makes me a little angry, but, for now, here's the old New York Times Review.

So fun to go out and have real food in that part of CT. We tea-smoked duck and a whole sea bass steamed and covered in a soy bean sauce. True it was sort of brown-reddish and not the most aesthetically pleasing dish I'd ever seen, but the flavors were heavenly. As were the cheng du wontons, cold sesame noodles (not as spicy as dan-dan but with a great little kick), bok choy side dish...and the staff (and yes they know my dad because he goes in there once a week or more) is super helpful and friendly. This place is a real treat if you find yourself east of New Haven on I-95.

All I can say today is: sure the traffic is annoying (and no doubt more annoying to residents) and sure the neighborhood will soon be less interesting and cool (but those projects and lack of subway should keep the masses out) BUT Red Hook Fairway is one of the best things to happen to me in years. And I didn't even realize that this happened:

Of course, more than $100 means many bags which will make for an unpleasant return trip, And that store is so gigantic I've not yet been in there for less than 90 minutes, but the water taxi is a great idea and dumbo really is the land of no supermarkets, though there is a mini market, Forager's (56 Adams Street), which is pretty good but not perfect. Mostly because their staff is, well, slow and does not know how to cut fish. I swear they sold me a piece of halibut that looked liked it was sliced with pinking shears (those zig-zag scissors).

Let's face it, Whole Foods may be expensive but their 365 brand mostly rocks (not the spaghetti sauce). I especially love the frozen vegetables and now that there's direct competition on 14th street must say that I Hate Trader Joe's frozen veg and Love 365.

Question of the Day: Does Prozac reek havoc on the stomach or does it just put you to sleep (or what)?

My brother is having a fireworks party and I'm bringing Cold Racchette (tennis racket-shaped pasta) Salad. It's great as a side dish or even as a main. If you can't find racchette, use gemelli or cavatappi.

Cold Racchette Salad

16 ounces racchette, or any short, ridged, spiraled pasta

½-cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup halved, pitted Calamata olives, or other brine-cured black olives (about 50)

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise

1 cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded and cut into ¼-inch crescents (about 2 cups)

1 small red onion, diced (about ¾ cup)

7 ounces Greek feta, cut into ¾-inch dice

¼-cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

fresh ground black pepper to taste

Cook racchette according to package directions. Drain under cold, running water until completely cooled and drain again.

Transfer pasta to a large bowl. Add extra-virgin olive oil and toss to coat. Add the olives, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, feta, lemon juice and black pepper and toss to combine.

Note: If not serving soon, cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. If the pasta seems dry when you’re ready to serve, add one or two tablespoons of olive oil.

white vinegar may be substituted for the lemon juice.