“So, if you’re writing a ‘guide’, will I ever be able to read it?” asks my husband. ”Do you intend to create a ‘manual for modern living’—on the web, as a book, or as anything else”?
Leave it to my DH to pose the most obvious questions about the RLSG’s quest to identify, “life’s little problems”. How were we ever going to guide anyone anywhere without a legitimate plan to do so? Talkin’ the talk without walkin’ the walk just would not cut it. To date, our 50 conversations—which were sometimes serious, oftentimes lighthearted and most times zany, tended to veer this way and that. Within any one Episode, we would careen from Home Gardens, to Handling Money to Computer Hacks (#43) or, Arguments,to Exercise, and Holiday Greetings (#24) as easy as pie (which we frequently scarfed down while talking about these things). Even with fearless Bruce at the helm and Duo on deck, we would often find our radio ship adrift. Lest we sail away into the unchartered verbal provinces of, “What the heck were we just talking about-land”, it was time to chart another course.
Tilting full speed into the wind, we found a new destination: CHAPTERS! Yes, with Chapters as our mainsail, we will be free to “discern and discuss” (a Duo-ism), just ONE topic per episode. Our guest editors and listeners would have room to zoom in, out, around and underneath our chosen weekly themes. With a renewed purpose and clearer direction, we could now sharpen our focus while dishing, digging and brainstorming our way through the muck and mire of everyday living. Through the fog and over the rocky seas, we will explore together, travel on and gather valuable editorial advice. And maybe…just maybe, finally assemble an honest-to-goodness Real Life Survival Guide.
And so, with Episode 51, we begin Chapter One. Lucky for us– our first port of call was in Spain! Well…not really, but it felt like Spain at the muy excelente Barcelona Restaurant in New Haven. This award-winning hip, vibrant, dramatic space next to the Omni Hotel provided just the right setting for our lively conversation about “Self Care”. Manager Tom Meyers put before us a remarkable, over-the-tapas feast—(insert smiley face here), an impressively delicious selection of vegetales, carne, y pescado from their core menu items (ok, they gave us almost everything) complemented by their house-made sangria. Here’s just a sample of the goodies that we shared: Spinach-Chickpea Casserole with Cumin & Garlic Confit, Homemade Empanadas, Monkfish la Plancha with Salsa Verde, Sea Salt, Grilled Hanger Steak with Truffle Sauce, House-Made Pita Chips, Champinones a la plancha—I truly could go on and on and on, but I don’t want to make you too envious.
All I can say is that our “Self-Care” nutritional needs were catered to in quite a celebratory fashion.
Hacia adelante!
-CPG
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