Planning a Perfect Sunday..With Meat

"Today I want to have a picnic," I said, "with meat."

June laughed out loud.

"You know what I want," she asked without waiting for an answer (a weird habit we all are guilty of), "My Mom used to make this thing with sauteed ground beef and you add it to rice, and..." I was already out. That wasn't the meat I was referring to. I love the fact that our diet is influenced culturally by my wife's Japanese heritage, but sometimes I don't want the flavors of Aomori floating around my mouth. Sometimes I want a Trader Joe's blanket lunch kind of thing, with dried salami, baguette, cheese, seven or eight more finger food-ish meat options. You know, the kind of picnic that is supposed to be simple but winds up costing you $26. That's what I want today.

And I want to take pictures of Zoey.

I'd also like to drink coffee.

I don't want it to be over 80 degree outside.

Reading would be nice.

It'd be cool to watch people all day but not have to actually talk to any.

I'd like to be in Central Park, or Bryant Park would do.

Some family interaction would be good.

A blue sky with a nice cloud buffet would be welcomed.

Instead we may have to settle for a small...a very small, portion of those plans. We can take pictures of Zoey. We can manage the coffee thing. Reading is very likely not as easy as it sounds, and I'm pretty sure the park won't be in New York, the weather won't resemble what I've wished for, and we'll probably be besot upon by hoards of annoying, unwelcome and talkative people. The good news is that the baguette and meat is pretty much a given.

Some leftovers from Saturday...

Before Fall is here and we're ankle deep in leaves, we need to take the train to Toronto, visit friends, wander, and go to the zoo.

Should we go back to NYC at August's end?

A Fall Camping trip? Sounds like a good idea.

Chicago in October for the Northwestern game?

I want, no need, a quiet weekend at a cottage. I want to jump off a dock into cold water. I've never, ever had a cottage to visit.

We need more museums in our life.

Campfires are good. Where are all the campfires?