Sunday, June 01, 2003

By the end of the day Friday my twenty-four hour SARS had me really pretty down, but Jeb was in town!  So out we went, to dinner and to see Marcia Ball, blues piano sensation and Austin institution.  Up here in New York, as it turns out, she’s got a legion of fans from the NYPD – narcs, to be precise.  Which was funny.  They all had mustaches and no hair, and they listened to the music sitting at attention.  Odd.  We were accompanied on our musical adventure by two friends of Jeb’s who are Julie/Julia readers, which was also odd.  Neat, but odd. By Saturday I knew the end was coming.  But we tried to make the most of my last day on earth count by going to the Matthew Barney exhibit at the dilapidated Guggenheim.  It was, well, bizarre.  The best part was watching the faces of all the confused tourists.  Not that I wasn’t confused, but confused tourists are much funnier than confused New Yorkers. Then I used the last ounce of my energy to make Roti de Porc Grand’ Mere, roast pork with potatoes and onions.  Marinated the pork with a dry paste of salt and seasonings.  Took a nap.  Browned the pork in oil, stuck in some bay leaf, thyme and parsley, and stuck it in the oven for a little over an hour.  Peeled some pearl onions and briefly boiled them, peeled some new potatoes and briefly browned them, threw these in with the pork.  No energy left for braised leeks.  Life.  Force.  Seeping.  Away.  For a last meal on earth, you could do worse than Roti de Porc Grand’ Mere.  I managed not to overdo the pork, is mostly what turned out right.  It was nice and juicy, and the potatoes and onions and sucked up porky goodness, and it was yummy. And then, after watching “George Washington,” a surprisingly good movie, I kissed my dear husband one last time, hacked quietly into my pillow, and told him I wanted him to be happy when I was gone, and to find someone new. Imagine my surprise when I woke up on Sunday still alive, my consumptive cough somewhat abated, and realized I’d have to clean the house after all.   12:52:02 PM    comment []