20 Questions (or so)

I was asked by Janet of The Gardeners Cottage to answer some questions about myself. Sarah from My Yellow House also passed on an award to me a few weeks ago (which I thoughtlessly ignored) where I was supposed to share some things about myself. Since each of us limit the scope of our blogs to a particular segment of our lives, I think this is a great way to share a little bit of ourselves off subject. So here's a little bit about the curmudgeon behind An Urban Cottage.
What time do I wake up? 6:00 but I hit the snooze two times so I feel like I've slept in.

Coffee or tea? Double latte, please.
Favorite time of day? Morning. (After the latte)

Breakfast? Usually oatmeal with some vanilla yogurt but my guilty pleasure is a strawberry pop tart. The colorful sprinkles just make me happy.

Favorite salad dressing? I make my own vinaigrette and it's one I learned to make when I visited Paris years ago. Salt, pepper, garlic, a little dijon, vinegar and olive oil. In the summer I tend to make it with lemon instead of vinegar. The only commercial dressing I buy is Annie's Shitake Mushroom vinaigrette. It's got soy and sesame oil in it and it's great on brocolli or any stirfry. (I took an art workshop with Annie in Stowe, VT. She's really cool and she had the funkiest sneakers.)

Last drink? Friday night I had a Cranberry Bog Martini at Legal Seafoods. I'm not a big drinker but I love my "bogs."

Favorite store to max out your credit card? Easy one. Berta Walker Gallery or Artstrand in Provincetown.

Favorite pizza? Plain cheese.

Last dinner I ate? I had a salad with some grilled shrimp.

Food dislikes? Turnip. And I won't eat veal.

Steak or chicken? I'm really trying to be thoughtful about the meat that I eat and I'm trying to eat less but with spring coming, I'm really looking forward to grilling my first steak of the season. Sorry, Janet.

Where do I want to retire? Good question. I'm not sure but I'd like to have a summer and a winter place even if it's a little shack in both places. Maybe Vermont or coastal Maine in the summer. The winter place is the tough one. I don't need a warm place, maybe something a little less bitter than New England though.

Last movie I saw? I'm not a big movie person but Precious. Didn't love it but Monique was amazing.

Favorite cuisine? Indian. I could eat it every day and probably be happy with only the vegetarian choices. Samosas, chana masala, saag paneer. Love it all.

Favorite restaurant? Most of my favorite restaurants are in California. Chez Panisse, The Slanted Door, Green's. Julia's Kitchen in Napa was one of the best meals I've ever had--an interpretation of Julia's casoullet--but they've closed. I love Bouchon too. (Any restaurant with a bakery next door is close to my heart!) Locally, I would have to say East Coast Grill and The Blue Room in Cambridge or Mela (Indian Food) in the South End. Not fancy; just good cooking.

Favorite color? Blue.

Favorite piece of clothing? Either my 1980s Comme de Garcon collarless blazer or my J. Crew hoodie.

Favorite flower? Really, really hard. There are so many fragrant flowers that immediately take me back to my childhood like lilacs, peonies, Lily of the Valley, hyacinth, etc., but I would have to go with zinnias. You can't beat the color and they're long lasting as a cut flower.

Favorite sport to watch? Football but on TV. Not a fan of the cold seats.

Like your job? Most days. I work with a lot of great people and although we work hard, we also have a lot of fun which makes a big difference.

Tattoos? Two. One I got in Houston, Texas on a business trip after a few too many mimosas at brunch. And the other one I got with my mother and sister in Niagara Falls, ON. My mother got a daisy. My sister got "sunshine" on her shoulder and got three Chinese characters on my upper arm that stand for health, wealth and good fortune.

Dog or cat? Cats. I have three Abysinnians. This is Angus below. Although I love dogs too.

Pet peeves? I have a lot of them but most of them revolve around inconsiderate people. Need I elaborate?

Just for fun, I'm going to be challenging Kelly McGuill of O so D to answer these questions. I love Kelly's style as I've mentioned a few times in my own pages but I left her a comment that I thought she was sexist when she was male bashing in one of her posts. She sent me an e-mail saying "Hi, it's me, the sexist blogger." So she probably hates me but I'll see what I can do.