Some Fabulous Things

This post really should be called “Some Fabulous Things I Just Discovered That Everyone Knew About 5 Years Ago”, but I thought that was a little long. I am totally late to the game on just about all of these, but I totally don’t care. These may be old news to you, but if they aren’t, you should check them out:

Basil: As in the herb. In our last two Harvest Routes baskets, we received a bunch of basil. I'd always loved the smell of fresh basil, but I don't think I'd ever been completely engulfed by it before. On the way home from picking up our basket, the large bunch of basil made my car smell like happiness and hunger. I'm now thinking about putting sprigs of fresh basil in every room. Is that pizza you're making? No, that's just the basil under the bed.

Thai Food: Yes, I know this sounds a bit like Columbus "discovering" America, but bear with me. Kurt and I just recently discovered Thai food (for ourselves). I don't really know why I'd never tried it before other than the fact that I didn't know of any Thai places in our area. Two years ago, Ploy Siam opened in the shopping center near our house and a few of our friends raved about. So we decided to try it one night and ordered takeout. Not knowing anything about the menu, we took some guesses and ordered. And the food was fabulous. It was fresh, flavorful, just spicy enough (you can tell them how spicy you want your order from 1 pepper to 5 peppers). It wasn't long before we were craving more, so we stopped in one night. The restaurant is absolutely gorgeous. The amount of detail that went into the design of the place is incredible. From the huge skylight detailed in gold leaf to the statue that sits in a reflecting pool. It's refreshing to find a restaurant that put just as much thought into the decor as the food.

Grounds for Sculpture: This state fairground turned sculpture garden in Hamilton, NJ (or "Princeton" as it claims) is definitely worth a trip. Surprisingly enough, I'd never really walked through the grounds. I'd been to Rat's (the AMAZING french restaurant modeled after Ratty's house in The Wind in the Willows) and I'd attended a wedding ceremony at GFS, but I'd never taken the time to walk the grounds and look at the sculptures. If you've ever been in the Hamilton area and have seen random, enormous, odd sculptures placed along highways, you've seen some of the overflow. The 45 or so acres are owned by sculptor, Seward Johnson (of the Johnson & Johnson family) and are filled with contemporary sculptures, some permanent, most temporary. Located in a corporate park and surrounded by warehouses, you'd never guess such a beautiful outdoor museum was placed here. It's a great place to go for a walk on a nice day and enjoy some beautiful and interesting art.

Downton Abbey: Last Sunday, I spent the entire day on my couch in a marathon session of Season 2 of this show. I found Season 1 on Netflix and was hooked after the first 2 episodes. I couldn’t stop thinking about it until a few days later when I finally had the time to watch the rest, in one night (which, if you ask me, is my definition of a great show/book/movie, etc.). If you like period dramas, the English class system, great acting and/or fantastic writing (and really, who doesn’t?), I highly recommend this show. Maggie Smith is in it (Professor McGonagall for all you Harry Potter fans) and that’s about it. It’s one of the things I like most about the show. Besides Maggie Smith (and Bernie from Notting Hill), I don’t know a single actor in it. The story is compelling, scandalous, funny, and heartbreaking all at once. It’s like an hour long emotional roller coaster that I just can’t get enough of. There are a ton of characters and the stories follow not only the noble family, but their servants as well, and there are fabulous plotlines for each character. I was amazed how quickly I became invested in each and every character. And now I'm kicking myself for starting it now since Season 3 won't be available in the US until January. So, in the meantime, I'm watching...

The Big Bang Theory: I can’t tell you how many people have recommended this show to me. I shrugged off each and every one of them, for no reason really. I kept forgetting to DVR it or really wasn’t that interested in starting a new show, or was deeply engrossed in 5 hours of Downton Abbey. I finally decided to order Season 1 on Netflix…and finished the entire 1st disc in one sitting. And then watched it again the next day because disc 2 had yet to arrive. This. Show. Is. Hilarious. Seriously, laugh out loud funny. I love all the characters and their quirks, but Sheldon is by far my favorite. I love the dorkiness of it and the psychologist in me simply bursts with delight every time any character reveals a new neurosis. The humor is smart and sarcastic - my favorite kind. Two thumbs up (although it would be more if I had more thumbs).