Ready to Feast

Inspirational song: Fast Food (Richard Thompson)

There is an expression in real estate,  called "buying a refrigerator." In short, it means you screwed something up in your deal, like not being very specific in your contract, and you are pulling out your own checkbook to make things right. It's generally not a happy moment. Chances are, someday it will happen to me. It is important to me to put that day off as long as possible.

Last week, however, I actually did buy a refrigerator, in the literal meaning of the phrase. The last two houses I bought came with small, white, apartment-sized refrigerators. I didn't like using them much, but I sucked it up and left them low on the priority list. Eventually I had to admit that 18 cubic feet just isn't really enough space for me, as I eat mostly fresh food. I also whine like a toddler about losing food in the bottom back corners of the fridge, because it's such a pain to turn upside down and retrieve the hidden stuff. Last week there were still a few Black Friday sales holdovers, and we couldn't pass up the chance to swap out the teeny fridge for a much larger, well-designed, matching (to the rest of the appliances) model. The one we found was just about half off, and didn't cost more to get it in black. (Since when did stainless become cheaper?) This morning, very early, we jumped out of bed and emptied the old fridge, scrubbed it inside and out, and moved it to the garage. We cleaned the kitchen and updated the plug where the new one would sit. And right on time, two very efficient and friendly delivery men carried my new big, black fridge inside. I'm pretending I'm going to keep this one better organized, cleaner, and food rotated out before it spoils. Shh. Don't ruin my fantasy. Let me have it at least a day.

After panic cleaning for hours and then loading up my new kitchen toy, I was useless for the rest of the day. I fell asleep sitting up in a chair, and slept right through lunch. I managed to rouse myself to create in the kitchen with a handful of the things I discovered I had while cleaning out the fridge (and I will revisit the braised chicken in a reduction sauce flavored with lemon, fresh sage, fresh basil, and rum--it's worth a second try, and possibly an ATK episode). And then we finally made it to a show at the new movie theater in town. Let me back that up... when we first moved here, there was no movie theater at all. They had demolished the mall years ago, and a whole new shopping village has been under construction for the last couple years. The theater opened a month ago, but we hadn't made time to go until now. The new place is one of the upscale places that has fewer seats available, but every single seat is a recliner with wide arms. This. This is how theaters will add value to the movie-going experience, and convince the public to keep coming out of their living rooms to spend money on first-run entertainment. It was the first time in twenty years I sat comfortably through an entire movie, not jiggling back and forth in my seat, crossing and recrossing my legs each way, and wishing the movie would just end already. I may actually get out more often now. Before we left, we bought our opening day Star Wars tickets for next week. We are going in the morning, and I expect it to be a feast for the senses. I wonder whether the theater sells coffee.