Things have been pretty hectic the past two weeks, so I'm going to try to summarize everything. First, I started working at a brick oven pizza place in Dover, NH (about 5 miles from my apartment in Somersworth) called La Festa Brick and Brew. I don't have an official position there; basically, everyone up front does everything including customer service, running orders to tables, bussing, and sidework. There are also people in charge of making the pizzas, and working the kitchen, but I'm not doing that yet, luckily for them. Everyone splits the tips, which is nice because it seems to keep everyone working together. I got my first paycheck yesterday and it was more than I expected coming from NY, because minimum wage is a lot higher in NH, and there is also no state income tax. I feel like I'm doing pretty decent considering this is the first job I picked up basically the first week I was here. So far, everyone there has been friendly, helpful, and patient with me (also shocking, coming from Binghamton and the infamously cutthroat Park Diner). It sounds like they're going to be really flexible with my school schedule as well. Work is work, but I guess I'm pretty happy with it so far.
Last Saturday, I ventured out to Newmarket (a town a little past Durham, where UNH is) and met one of the other first-year poets at a Brazilian cafe and bakery called Pao. First of all, I am aware of my culinary ignorance, but when I think of Brazilian foods I think of guinea pigs roasted in spices, not tea and desserts. But this place was AMAZING and has definitely made the list of my favorite eateries in the area so far. I had an iced hibiscus tea made with lime juice, basil and fruit, which was delicious. But the best part was this mouthwatering Brazilian dessert called Sagu: tapioca pearls cooked in red wine until they reach pudding consistency, then topped with some sort of vanilla nut custard. It was so rich and smooth and fruity with just the right amount of sweetness.... I'm still having dreams about it.
Grocery shopping for one person has been consistently challenging so far. I keep trying to plan meals that can be portioned out and frozen, but that still leaves the problem of how to use up fresh produce that will go bad in a few days to a week but is only sold in bulk (like a bundle of asparagus, or a stem of tomatoes, or even a bag of carrots). I hate throwing food away, but sometimes I just can't eat it all in time. I have discovered fairly good sized farm market a little further down High Street than the Market Basket I buy most of my groceries at, and I've started buying produce there instead because certain things are like 1/4 of the price. Last weekend I spent about $4 there on a pound of asparagus, two oranges, and a container of dried kiwi slices. But I still haven't gotten the hang of how long things can be kept, so I waited two days and used part of the asparagus in fried rice, and then the next day went to use the rest and realized the tips were all brownish and mushy, so I ended up throwing most of it away. Even having cereal every other day for breakfast, I was unable to use up a quart of milk before the expiration date. My new plan for grocery shopping is to find out ahead of time how long things are going to last in the fridge. That said, now that I've stocked up on all the basics like pasta and rice, spices, and cooking oils, I haven't been spending nearly as much per week as I originally budgeted for my groceries, which is a big relief on its own.
Tuesday I had orientation at UNH, and after returning to Dover earlier than I was supposed to start work, I wandered around the corner and discovered a great little coffee shop, Adelle's. It reminds me of a smaller Cyber Cafe -- lots of art on the walls, mismatched and rickety tables and chairs, and some pretty damn good coffee. Much better than the Cafe on the Corner a little further down, although that one is conveniently close to my new favorite used bookstore, Baldface Books.
Wednesday, I met my cousin Kelly in downtown Portsmouth, and we walked to the Portsmouth Gas Light Co for dinner and a cocktail. I had their mussels frites ("fresh PEI mussels sauteed with garlic, shallots and roasted peppers simmered with a white wine chili broth. Topped with fried matchstick potatoes and drizzled with chipotle aoli") which were delicious but not nearly as good as the classic Italian-style mussels at the River House on Bow Street. I did, however, have a delicious Scottish Gentleman cocktail made with gin, elderflower liqueur, lime, and something else... it was yummy even if I can't remember what was in it!
After dinner, we walked to Prescott Park, where there are outdoor concerts all summer, and then went in some stores because most places in Portsmouth are open until 8 or 9 PM. We discovered a great little shop called Serendipity, which sells lots of jewelry and accessories as well as clothes by Free People, BB Dakota, etc. Everything in the store was something I could see myself wearing (hints to all who wish to buy me gifts in the future! lol), but I immediately fell in love with a winter coat (the "Christopher" by BB Dakota) in hunter green that has an asymmetrical, draped collar and silver clip closure like a cape... I tried it on and felt like I belonged in the Roaring Twenties. Thinking of the New Hampshire winter that lies in wait across my path, I SOMEHOW persuaded myself to buy it.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Saturday, August 18, 2012
...the rest of Week 1 (August 5-10)
After Alex left on Sunday, I didn't do much but sit around feeling sorry for myself. My couch was like an island surrounded by a brown sea of boxes. There were so many of them, the task of unpacking seemed unbearably daunting. I did start cleaning the kitchen cabinets and fridge so I was at least able to put away the groceries I bought Monday, but otherwise, I didn't do much.
Fortunately, my Aunt Shari arrived in town on Monday night, and on seeing the piles of boxes immediately took charge and started directing my efforts. Everything I wanted to do instead, like visit Portsmouth right away, she would not allow until we got more done around the apartment. Luckily, we ended up in Portsmouth Tuesday anyway looking for furniture at the Salvation Army, and it seemed silly to drive back there a different day, so we parked in the garage, grabbed a map at the closest shop, and started walking around. Once we got to Bow St., which runs along the Piscataqua river and is lined with restaurants advertising views of the water, we had to stop for lunch. We chose The Surf, a seafood restaurant and sushi bar with outdoor balcony seating that overlooks the harbor. I had a shrimp and avocado quesadilla with lime-chipotle sauce, and from where we were sitting we had a clear view of the tugboats, the saltpiles, the portsmouth harbor cruise dock, Badgers Island Marina, and the bridge that connects Portsmouth to Kittery, Maine. Best lunch ever... picture if the Lost Dog Cafe in Binghamton had fresh seafood and a balcony overlooking Portsmouth harbor. Yum!
From that point forward, we proceeded to eat our way through Portsmouth, stopping for coffee at Breaking New Grounds on Market Square, gourmet chocolates at Chocolate Chic at Attrezzi on Market St, and some amazing german concoction at Kaffee VonSolin, which consisted of chocolate gelato immersed in iced coffee where it melted into some frappaccino-esque, milkshakey goodness. While not stuffing our faces with sugar and caffeine, we also managed to go on a tour of the Moffatt Ladd house and garden, a mansion built for shipmerchant John Maffatt between 1760 and 1763, a wedding present for his son.
You'd think that would make this one of the oldest houses in Portsmouth, but after walking around there I can say most certainly, definitely not. It was, however, the first three story house built in Portsmouth, which made it very grand indeed. Unfortunately, the son it was built for went bankrupt within a year and ran away to the west indies to avoid debtor's prison; his wife joined him shortly after the birth of their third(?) child, and his sister Katherine, who stayed in the house to take care of her brother's children, was able to finangle ownership of the house until well into her old age. Dramatic times. It would have made an excellent Dickens novel.
Anyhow, back at my apartment, I did eventually unpack most of my boxes with Shari's help. She bought me a 5-shelf bookcase at Target and we assembled it so I could unpack the two boxes of books I had managed to bring with me. I put it next to my writing desk in the corner so I could have a little nook for reading/writing... it looks a little empty without the desk chair I reupholstered and the rest of my books, but those will be coming at the end of the month.
The shop I live above is an adorable little gift and antique shop called The Rustic Dragonfly. The owners, Janice and Judy, are such sweet and talkative ladies, I've found myself stopping in every day or two just to say hi. The Saturday after I moved in, all the shops on the street had a sidewalk sale, so a few days before, Janice and Judy started marking items down for the sale. I stopped in downstairs looking for something to put my TV on and some sort of spice rack, just as they were marking everything in the back room 50% off. I bought a beautiful antique-looking black table for about $20, a heavy cupboard with two shelves and a cabinet with an antique Budweiser advertisement on it for another $20, and a collapsible folk-artsy bookend to keep my CDs in for $2.50. The best part was, I only had to carry them upstairs!
I love that the table I used for my TV is so light and open instead of a
clunky entertainment center, and it's the perfect size to stack some of
my antique suitcases under -- my DVDs are in the top one :)
We did allow ourselves some diversions after unpacking the bulk of everything. Wednesday, I went around and applied for jobs at restaurants in the area, and was called back the same day to work at La Festa Brick & Brew, a brick oven pizza place (I started this past Monday). Thursday, we took a boat cruise to the Isles of Shoals, a series of small islands about six miles off the coast, a half an hour boat ride from Portsmouth Harbor. The famous 19th century poet Celia Thaxter ("The Sandpiper"), daughter of a lighthouse keeper, lived on Appledore Island where she entertained Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and many others. Smuttynose Island (recognizable for the name taken by Smuttynose Brewing Company -- which is located in Portsmouth and I hope to visit it soon!) is the site of an infamous double murder in 1873 which led to a controversial hanging that helped abolish the practice in NH. The murders are apparently the subject of a book (and movie) called The Weight of Water, which I have never heard of but may now read. The cabin in which the murders apparently took place is featured on the label of Smuttynose Isle of Shoals Pale Ale. Star Island, the only island served by a commercial boat from the mainland, is home to the 19th century Oceanic hotel which is still run as a retreat center.
Fortunately, my Aunt Shari arrived in town on Monday night, and on seeing the piles of boxes immediately took charge and started directing my efforts. Everything I wanted to do instead, like visit Portsmouth right away, she would not allow until we got more done around the apartment. Luckily, we ended up in Portsmouth Tuesday anyway looking for furniture at the Salvation Army, and it seemed silly to drive back there a different day, so we parked in the garage, grabbed a map at the closest shop, and started walking around. Once we got to Bow St., which runs along the Piscataqua river and is lined with restaurants advertising views of the water, we had to stop for lunch. We chose The Surf, a seafood restaurant and sushi bar with outdoor balcony seating that overlooks the harbor. I had a shrimp and avocado quesadilla with lime-chipotle sauce, and from where we were sitting we had a clear view of the tugboats, the saltpiles, the portsmouth harbor cruise dock, Badgers Island Marina, and the bridge that connects Portsmouth to Kittery, Maine. Best lunch ever... picture if the Lost Dog Cafe in Binghamton had fresh seafood and a balcony overlooking Portsmouth harbor. Yum!
From that point forward, we proceeded to eat our way through Portsmouth, stopping for coffee at Breaking New Grounds on Market Square, gourmet chocolates at Chocolate Chic at Attrezzi on Market St, and some amazing german concoction at Kaffee VonSolin, which consisted of chocolate gelato immersed in iced coffee where it melted into some frappaccino-esque, milkshakey goodness. While not stuffing our faces with sugar and caffeine, we also managed to go on a tour of the Moffatt Ladd house and garden, a mansion built for shipmerchant John Maffatt between 1760 and 1763, a wedding present for his son.
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| The Moffatt Ladd House (1763) |
Anyhow, back at my apartment, I did eventually unpack most of my boxes with Shari's help. She bought me a 5-shelf bookcase at Target and we assembled it so I could unpack the two boxes of books I had managed to bring with me. I put it next to my writing desk in the corner so I could have a little nook for reading/writing... it looks a little empty without the desk chair I reupholstered and the rest of my books, but those will be coming at the end of the month.
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| New Bookshelf in Reading Nook |
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| TV Table |
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| Spice shelf -- haven't figured out what to keep in the cabinet yet |
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| Matches the rest of my cabinets perfectly! Notice the orange teakettle to match my countertop (thanks Shari).... and the turqouise toaster (thanks Kathy)! |
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| The perfect $2.50 CD holder! |
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| Finally complete -- the tree decal Kathy gave me was the finishing touch :) |
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| overall view of living room... |
We did allow ourselves some diversions after unpacking the bulk of everything. Wednesday, I went around and applied for jobs at restaurants in the area, and was called back the same day to work at La Festa Brick & Brew, a brick oven pizza place (I started this past Monday). Thursday, we took a boat cruise to the Isles of Shoals, a series of small islands about six miles off the coast, a half an hour boat ride from Portsmouth Harbor. The famous 19th century poet Celia Thaxter ("The Sandpiper"), daughter of a lighthouse keeper, lived on Appledore Island where she entertained Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and many others. Smuttynose Island (recognizable for the name taken by Smuttynose Brewing Company -- which is located in Portsmouth and I hope to visit it soon!) is the site of an infamous double murder in 1873 which led to a controversial hanging that helped abolish the practice in NH. The murders are apparently the subject of a book (and movie) called The Weight of Water, which I have never heard of but may now read. The cabin in which the murders apparently took place is featured on the label of Smuttynose Isle of Shoals Pale Ale. Star Island, the only island served by a commercial boat from the mainland, is home to the 19th century Oceanic hotel which is still run as a retreat center.
Friday, August 17, 2012
Days 1 & 2 (August 4 & 5)
For those of you who don't already know (though I'm not sure why you'd be reading this blog if you didn't), two weeks ago today I uprooted myself from the life I knew for 21 years, and relocated to the New Hampshire seacoast in order to attend graduate school at the University of New Hampshire. Now that I'm adequately settled, I am beginning this blog both as a record for myself, and a source of news about how I am faring to anyone who might be interested. Anyway.
Alex helped me move up here on Saturday the 4th, with both our cars packed full of almost all my worldly goods. (I had to leave Bellatrix, my plants, and most of my books behind for the time being, but will be returning for them at the end of the month.) It took us over 8 hours to make the normally 6.5 hour drive, because unbeknownst to us, half the world travels to Maine on summer weekends, and we ended up stuck in standstill traffic for over an hour just 20 miles from our destination. Shortly after 4pm, we finally arrived in Somersworth, NH, where I hastily signed the lease for my new apartment and we rushed out the door to pick up the UHaul truck I had reserved for 5pm!
Picking up all the furniture I had arranged for ahead of time through Craigslist was not as easy a task as it was meant to be. We could not find the address for the couch and table, and had to make an additional trip to get the bed and dresser because everything wouldn't fit in the van. People wouldn't stop their cars to allow us to back the moving van up to our door. Then we had to move everything in 90 something degree heat, by ourselves. We got almost everything moved in okay, despite the oppressive heat and humidity, but the couch turned out to be gigantic and insanely heavy -- we got it off the truck and one step up the stairs before I realized I was not going to be able to lift it. Fortunately, just as I was on the brink of despair, two random guys about our age walking down the sidewalk offered to help, and ten minutes later my couch was sitting in my living room, pretty as you please. I haven't seen the guys since and have no idea who they are, but I am very very grateful. They wouldn't take any money. That's about the nicest anyone's been to me in this town so far.
The good thing about the furniture, although exhausting to move, is that because I bought it all used on craigslist, I was able to save a ton of money. The couch is gorgeous, incredibly comfy, and big enough for a guest to sleep on very comfortably, and it only cost me $100 because the guy was moving to Boston and had to get rid of it. He threw in a small kitchen table with fold-down sides and 4 chairs for another $40. I was able to make a deal on a full size wooden bedframe with headboard and footboard, mattress and boxspring for $100, and surprisingly, the mattress is perfectly clean and very comfortable. The same girl sold me her 8-drawer vanity and mirror for another $50. For $290 total, I could not have even rented a moving van to drive the distance from home -- and I still would have had to buy a table, chairs, and a dresser. I made off like a bandit.
Anyway, after moving all that furniture and everything we brought in our cars, we had no energy to do anything but take the coldest shower ever, walk to the bar behind my apartment, and sit down for pizza and a beer. We ended up buying a whole large pizza so we would have leftovers for lunch, and a good thing too -- it was excellent and cheap, too! Just a plain pizza with tomatos and scallions, but it was homemade and covered in fresh tomato slices. I picked up a takeout menu to remind myself to go back for their fried pickles (one of my most favorite things).
The next day, after putting Alex to work installing curtain rods, we made an investigatory trip to the ocean, since York Beach was a mere 20 miles away. Unfortunately, neither of us realized those 20 miles were back roads through tiny towns congested with summer tourists, which meant it took us 45 minutes to drive there. On arriving, we had to fight for a parking space at the meters, and put our money in before we saw the beach over the hill. It was a thick swarm of fat pink blobs in bathing suits and sunhats, and loud children dodging through them like a hedgemaze. We promptly turned around and after investigating several more beaches, gave up and went in the ocean for an hour or so and then went home. That is, so far, the extent of my time at the beach. I intend to go looking for a quieter beach in the middle of September when everyone has gone.
Alex helped me move up here on Saturday the 4th, with both our cars packed full of almost all my worldly goods. (I had to leave Bellatrix, my plants, and most of my books behind for the time being, but will be returning for them at the end of the month.) It took us over 8 hours to make the normally 6.5 hour drive, because unbeknownst to us, half the world travels to Maine on summer weekends, and we ended up stuck in standstill traffic for over an hour just 20 miles from our destination. Shortly after 4pm, we finally arrived in Somersworth, NH, where I hastily signed the lease for my new apartment and we rushed out the door to pick up the UHaul truck I had reserved for 5pm!
Picking up all the furniture I had arranged for ahead of time through Craigslist was not as easy a task as it was meant to be. We could not find the address for the couch and table, and had to make an additional trip to get the bed and dresser because everything wouldn't fit in the van. People wouldn't stop their cars to allow us to back the moving van up to our door. Then we had to move everything in 90 something degree heat, by ourselves. We got almost everything moved in okay, despite the oppressive heat and humidity, but the couch turned out to be gigantic and insanely heavy -- we got it off the truck and one step up the stairs before I realized I was not going to be able to lift it. Fortunately, just as I was on the brink of despair, two random guys about our age walking down the sidewalk offered to help, and ten minutes later my couch was sitting in my living room, pretty as you please. I haven't seen the guys since and have no idea who they are, but I am very very grateful. They wouldn't take any money. That's about the nicest anyone's been to me in this town so far.
The good thing about the furniture, although exhausting to move, is that because I bought it all used on craigslist, I was able to save a ton of money. The couch is gorgeous, incredibly comfy, and big enough for a guest to sleep on very comfortably, and it only cost me $100 because the guy was moving to Boston and had to get rid of it. He threw in a small kitchen table with fold-down sides and 4 chairs for another $40. I was able to make a deal on a full size wooden bedframe with headboard and footboard, mattress and boxspring for $100, and surprisingly, the mattress is perfectly clean and very comfortable. The same girl sold me her 8-drawer vanity and mirror for another $50. For $290 total, I could not have even rented a moving van to drive the distance from home -- and I still would have had to buy a table, chairs, and a dresser. I made off like a bandit.
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| The Infamous Couch |
The next day, after putting Alex to work installing curtain rods, we made an investigatory trip to the ocean, since York Beach was a mere 20 miles away. Unfortunately, neither of us realized those 20 miles were back roads through tiny towns congested with summer tourists, which meant it took us 45 minutes to drive there. On arriving, we had to fight for a parking space at the meters, and put our money in before we saw the beach over the hill. It was a thick swarm of fat pink blobs in bathing suits and sunhats, and loud children dodging through them like a hedgemaze. We promptly turned around and after investigating several more beaches, gave up and went in the ocean for an hour or so and then went home. That is, so far, the extent of my time at the beach. I intend to go looking for a quieter beach in the middle of September when everyone has gone.
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