wednesday, jan. 6

Another freezing day in tropical Asheville, NC. Today we check out three possible apartments for Matt. Just to give you an idea about the cost of living here, all three apartments are some degree of furnished with some degree of utilities included and none are more than $800 a month. Of course once we see them, we may have a different idea about them, but, on paper at least, it looks promising.

Ol' Matt has been fighting a flu/cold since we arrived but has improved to the point that he will be able to go out and sample some "jams" at local clubs tonight. This will give me an opportunity to relax on my own and watch "Law and Order" on the hotel television. I hope they show the episode in which the person you assume did it turns out to be innocent and the guilty party is someone you hadn't thought of. I like that episode!

During our apartment hunting today, we were urged to have lunch in a neat downtown eatery called Doc Chey's. What a terrific suggestion that turned out to be. It's a noodle house, specializing in Thai cuisine. Everything was fresh, delicious and very reasonably priced. It's easily the kind of place a stranger would overlook, but we were well-advised.

...as opposed to the place I chose on my own last night: a fried seafood place that evidently hasn't had a customer since the Truman administration. I should have known it was not a good spot when I saw that the only cars in the parking lot belonged to the Ford dealership across the street. I'd have had a better meal if I tried munching the fender off a Ford Fusion. I ordered shrimp alfredo, not a good item to order from an unknown chef; actually, not a good thing to order from a known chef; let's just say it: not a good thing to order. Luckily, I had only had a few bites before all of my internal organs rose up in rebellion and asked me to reconsider. When they gang up like that, it's hard to ignore them. So a giant order of shrimp alfredo found its way into the hotel trash bin. There will be some stray cats in Asheville tomorrow that won't ever know what hit 'em!

So I leave you now with Matt practicing his Bach cello piece on the tenor, knowing that if I never have shrimp alfredo again, it will be way too soon.

Much love,
j