My friend Joann took me out for lunch at her favorite Chinese/Mongolian restaurant, Little Q Hot Pot, yesterday. It's a cute little nook on Mass Ave in Arlington, near her new house. Since I'd never had the hot pot experience, we went for it. The tables have a depression in the middle with a hotplate in them, into which they place a large bowl of broth. You then choose what you want to go into it: noodles, meats, veggies, etc. We chose shrimp, pork, and mushrooms. You also get a basket of greens, including bok choy, spinach, and (I think) watercress. The waitress showed us how to cook everything in the broth, and left us to our own devices. Everything was delicious! It was fun and interactive. And the mushrooms were quite photogenic.



The morning's rain had cleared up, and it was feeling quite balmy, so we decided to go to the Museum of Fine Arts. Not sure what the parking/snow situation was going to be, we decided public transportation was probably our best bet. A bus and two trains later, we arrived at the MFA ready to dive into art and history.



The art spills out onto the grounds; there are sculptures all around the building.



A very friendly guide asked if we'd seen the time capsule yet, and gave me detailed directions to find it. On the way, we took in the Klimt (the first one ever to hang at the MFA!) and a few Picassos.



They had the contents of the box laid out under glass, with detailed descriptions of everything. It was cool to see all the old coins, and several newspapers which no longer exist. They even had the box itself.



Our next stop was the Ancient History wing, both of us being history buffs. Of course, I had to visit Sekhmet and pay Her my respects. I took the day's selfie with Her.



I've always been drawn to this statue, and Sekhmet keeps popping up in various places in my life. Having been born under the sign of the lion, I suppose it's not too surprising.

After a stop in the gift shop, we made the trek back. It was rush hour by then, so the trains were pretty packed. When we exited the Davis Square station, there was a heavy downpour happening. And... what's that? White stuff? No, not snow. Hail. Little ice pellets bouncing off the road, the bricks, peoples' heads. And it was suddenly cold. To heck with that! Joann called Betty to come pick us up, as waiting in the hail for a bus didn't sound very appealing. We ended up going to a cute little Lebanese restaurant for supper, which was much more fun than sitting in rush hour traffic on Route 2. By the time we left it was very windy and cold, but my car has heated seats and the ride home was uneventful. It was a fun day with great friends, and it felt really good to get out, get moving, and do something different for a change. It's been such a long winter.

I had a nice time last night at the Melissa Ferrick concert at the Iron Horse. She's a really good singer (and guitarist), and she told funny stories in between (and sometimes during) songs. The crowd was made up of mostly avid and appreciative fans, and she seemed to be really enjoying herself. Her fanbase seems to be mostly made up of lesbians (which makes sense, since she is one herself and some of her songs are about her experiences), but there were a quite a few men and male-female couples there as well. Everyone looked to be enjoying the show.

B got there late (surprise, surprise!) (parking in Northampton is a bitch) so we missed part of the opening act (a pair of young women who reminded me a little bit of the Ditty Bops), and there were no seats left once we got in so we ended up standing by the bar. We ordered beers (black & tan for B, and Bass Ale for moi) and split an order of crawfish poppers and a pulled pork sandwich (OMG yum on both). The Iron Horse is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, but the building is much older. Lots of wood, exposed pipes, character.

Once Melissa came onstage, B went off to do her thing with her camera while I stood guard over the food and her equipment bag. It was fun to watch the crowd, and I got to look at B's pix later so I could see close-up how expressive Melissa is as she performs. Digital photography is so cool. :)

I'm really glad I went; I've been too much of a homebody lately, and I really should get out more. Thanks B, for inviting me and insisting I go. I even got home in time to see BSG (and OMG on the revelations from that!), and I had managed to set the VCR to tape that and Dollhouse before I went out. Not hearing especially good things about that, but I'd like to see it for myself. I'm not quite a member of the Cult of Whedon, but I've enjoyed most of his stuff over the years.

I'm going to try and make it to the monthly Meet & Greet this afternoon, and perhaps try to talk everyone into going to see Coraline in 3D. I don't really feel like driving to B&N, but getting out seems to be good for me. I spend too much time in my head, and that leads to anxiety most of the time.

Have a happy Valentine's Day, if you are so inclined. If not, do as I do and think about the half-price chocolate you can get tomorrow! *g*