by Sam Tackeff | Nov 21, 2013 | Coffee, Local stores, Random, Restaurants
Tomorrow is a no good, very bad day: my absolute favorite morning ritual is coming to an end. Sportello, my “third space”, is no longer going to serve coffee and breakfast. They are ceasing morning operations, and frankly, I don’t know what to do with myself. I’ve been going to Sportello several days a week for more than a year, and I’m just not ready for this break up.
This past week I’ve been going through many stages of grief. First there was surprise – I assumed the renovations were just a tidy up – a refresh. And then horror. Then anger. Then self-blame. Now a little bit of self pity. But mostly, I have no idea what I’m going to do with my mornings. Do I bring my coffee to work? Find a new morning space? After tomorrow I have no idea where I’m going to find the calm white counter, barstool with my back to the window, facing the door so I could see people come in. No morning conversations to eavesdrop. And I had such a thing going – I was a regular. You don’t just become a regular – you have to earn it. Build it up slowly over time. It’s a special, warm, fuzzy feeling being a regular.
I’m going to miss the Friday bagels, with the perfect ratio of seeds and salt. Toasted, just lightly – really just warmed. I’m going to miss the Fazenda roast, that perfect coffee needing no cream or sugar. And ice coffee with two straws.
I’m going to miss the ethereal, buttery maple biscuit. I remember my first biscuit – it was on on a Friday, before I realized that I could reserve a bagel, on a busy morning when they had run out. I picked it up reluctantly – despite my love of bagels, I don’t really eat very much of these flour-laden things. And so that biscuit. I took it out the bag as I walked over the bridge, and I had to stop walking because I was having a biscuit epiphany and literally could not keep on going. This was one of the best things I had ever put in my mouth. I may in fact miss this biscuit more than any thing else.
I’m going to miss the hard boiled eggs (three) that I’d pick up for breakfast, and eat slowly throughout the morning.
I’m going to miss turning down the Thursday donuts. And the doughssant craze. And the cinnamon buns (which I never actually ended up trying!).
I’m going to miss Joanne (another regular). She’s the artist. She even painted one of the cows!
I’m going to miss the coffee refills.
I’m going to miss the regulars from the office across the street who’d put up a sign in the window announcing how many bagels they’d like to reserve on Friday.
I’m going to miss that guy with the really impressive Lincoln beard. Yeah, seriously great facial hair.
I’m going to miss those mini quiches that they stopped making earlier in the year. I already missed them for months, and was hoping that they’d return soon.
I’m going to miss the drinks that I rarely got – those stupendous ones with things like ganache in them. I didn’t even know you could put ganache in coffee.
I’m going to miss the croissant yesterday which I ate because there were no maple biscuits left and I thought that I might as well try it given that I’m not going to ever get to eat it again. Dear lord was it a delicious croissant.
I’m going to miss Kaylee, Megan, and Amanda – who saw me most of the time before my morning caffeine (yikes!) and made me feel at home.
Goodbye Sportello mornings, you will be missed.
by Sam Tackeff | Nov 20, 2013 | Random
Today I’m afraid that I’m going for brevity… because I’ve been completely, utterly, hopelessly absorbed in the app QuizUp. I’m on there as alphaprep if you’d like to challenge.
by Sam Tackeff | Nov 19, 2013 | Art
For a city better known for sports rivalries, accents, and the mafia, Boston is making great strides in public art these days! Walking through town you can see murals, light installations, public pianos, sculptures, concrete barriers and electric boxes that have been lovingly painted, wacky public seating (Street Seats), and more. Many of the pieces have been located on the Rose Kennedy Greenway, a stretch of green parks that loop around the city, but lately it seems like art is popping up around every corner.
In the past few years there’s been a movement in Boston to illuminate historic monuments, buildings and landmarks at night, and one of the newest additions is the old Northern Avenue Bridge, the pedestrian bridge connecting the Seaport District to the main part of the city. The artist, John Powell, worked with the city’s Public Works department, the non-profit LightBoston, and Phillips Color Kinetics to create a stunning LED light show. It’s an interesting case study on public and private sector working together to make change in the neighborhood.
I’ve been walking over this bridge almost every night for the past year, and this colorful installation (which was turned on last month) completely changes the entire experience. I can’t quite explain it, but it feels positively joyful – the lights make the bridge beautiful, and not only do you want to be there, but it feels safer, too. This is definitely a welcome addition to my evening commute!
by Sam Tackeff | Nov 18, 2013 | Breakfast, Gardening
On Sunday, we went on a quick excursion to Perkins School for the Blind. The small, beautiful campus is located in Watertown, Massachusetts, right behind an aging mall, and near the banks of the Charles river. The school, founded in the early 1800’s, is where Helen Keller was educated, and for generations has provided truly excellent education for blind students, as well as those with not just blindness but significant disabilities. It’s quite a special place.
The current campus was built at the turn of the 20th century, and although has expanded, still maintains much of it’s old New England charm. Grand brick buildings are surrounded by stately trees, a pond, and paths you can wander down – it’s a lovely place to visit. I had heard through the grapevine of Instagram, that a tree on the southwest side of the lake was full of little persimmons that were ripe and ready to go, and that the birds and squirrels were feasting – if I wanted to partake, I should come quick with a basket and a hockey stick. I didn’t even realize that persimmons grew at this latitude – so I went with a bag, and a tall man to shake the trees, just to see what little bounty we could harvest.
By the time we arrived, the tree was nearly decimated – there was no fruit left on the ground, and I managed to come away with just a small handful of these little orange orbs that were ready enough to gently shake off the tree. Some of them seemed ripe enough to try, and I popped a few, before getting a dud of a third one – still far too astringent, which is to say, not bitter or sour, but containing so much tannin that your mouth immediately dries up, and the sensation is not particularly pleasant.
I was hoping to have enough to make a little jam, to top some steel cut oats that I had made in the morning. Instead, I opted for milk and a dollop of chestnut paste, and the handful of fruit will go in a bowl to sit, perhaps until I’m foolish enough to try another one.
by Sam Tackeff | Nov 17, 2013 | Meal Planning, Races
Racing, healing, cooking, reading, adventuring… a weekend the way I like to do it.
Here’s some advice: you should choose your wellness professionals based on their canine office companions. This is dear sweet Momo. Her mom helped me today with my hip flexors, back, and posture. She helped me today with her wagging, licking, and kisses. Frenchie kisses! Oh goodness, I really, really need a dog.
Yesterday, after the better part of four days spent sick in the house, I ventured out to run the Spartan Time Trial at Fenway with some adventurous members of the RunKeeper team. I knew that it was going to be rough given that I was feeling sick before we even started the race, but as a Sox fan, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to race through 20 obstacles at Fenway Park.
Here’s us, minus Bram, who was taking the picture.
In a nutshell: we burpee-d, climbed over (and under, and through) many walls, bear crawled, farmers-carried two very heavy water jugs down and up a set of stairs, jump roped with heavy ropes, did pushups in the Red Sox locker room!!, hopped on an erg for a sub 2:00 500, jumped up stairs, med ball tossed, climbed across walls, attempted rope climbs, climbed across monkey bars, hoisted a weight to the roof, attempted a javelin toss, ran through the entire stadium and the green monster seats, climbed a cargo net, box jumped, did many, many more burpees, and fought our way to the finish.
This may have been my slowest 5k, and I may have felt like death for most of it, but it certainly was one of the most fun! We finished in 1:14 – the mileage is off, because a good part of the course was indoors. (I started the timer a few minutes early so I could stick my phone…into a sock and into my spibelt to make sure that I didn’t accidentally destroy it on the course.) What I do for tracking!
A good part of the rest of the weekend was spent reading, and cooking. Here’s what I made this afternoon. (Not pictured – the Crescent Ridge Egg Nog I poured into my aeropress coffee.)
The Sunday Cook-up:
Three meals for the week, and some extra roasted vegetables. I’ll be out both Thursday and Friday, so there was less to cook! I still have a fourth meal to think about, but it’s likely going to be some quick fish. Or maybe some soup from the freezer.
:: Meatballs in mustard, beef broth and cream sauce, with a salad and crescent rolls.
:: Braised chicken with shallots, pancetta, cannelini beans, and parsnips. Finished with a swig of marsala.
:: Sausage with pancetta, baby potatoes, and brussels sprouts.
:: Roasted parsnips (coconut oil, salt, and pepper.)
Happy week, everyone!
