Stormy weather

I know I keep saying this, but I really can't believe how time flies!

More than a few snowstorms gobbled up Philadelphia and the counties this winter. I very much enjoyed at least one snowday when I showed up at work only to be mercifully dismissed by the Managing Partner. (He would never allow us to suffer unproductively in a dark, frigid office.) That day, many a snowball was thrown, and many photos evidenced how beauty hides even in a cruel ice storm. One of the snowy nights, Alex and I walked to Varga. The city was aglow with the streetlamps illuminating the snow covered streets and every descending flake. People crowded into the bar with our same intentions - eat, drink, and be merry. I made a snow angel in the street and failed in several attempts to assault Alex with snowballs, before hiding my frozen toes under the covers.

Then there was Valentine's, my former favorite holiday of the year. Many people miss my attempts to explain why it used to be my favorite holiday because their eyes have rolled so far back into their head and they are too busy gagging at the thought of me supporting the "Hallmark Holiday" of fake love. But just hear me out: I loved it when it was an opportunity to make dinner for a group of friends - couples and singles; I loved it for being a day for showing affection to friends who don't get enough hugs and kisses from each other. I never loved it for the fake love or the gifts (although I am a sucker for flowers any day of the year). But, as a one-on-one, it can be tough, and it ruins a lot of Februaries.

Luckily for me, my boyfriend has it down pretty good. I returned from some hearings in Harrisburg late on Monday night, around 8 or later. Alex had worked late too, and we agreed to order some food to maximize our time together. It was a beautiful night to walk to Georgio on Pine. We picked up some bags of goodies, my favorites being the simple and fresh arugula salad and the veal cutlet with lemon and demi-glace. Back home, the dining room table (persistently and stubbornly accumulating cups from the bedroom and all manner of things we reject from our pockets and grocery bags) was beautifully set with candles and the good china, but it was the brilliant orange tulips that lit up my office for weeks. It was the perfect ending after spending four hours in the car, singing country love songs and hoping for some romance.