The Joy in the Dark Side

It all started with a tiny homemade caramel. Well, ok, I suppose it can be traced back to a few days earlier when those Hershey's chocolate kisses were calling my name across the kitchen. If you haven't figured it out by now - I'm talking about my sugar addiction. Did you notice that the ticking sugar clock is gone from my blog page? The conscious decision to end my "sweets and treats" abstinence actually took place yesterday when I picked up that homemade caramel at a trade show I was attending in Boston. Yes, I fell off the wagon a few days before, but I stated my intentions in my last blog post that I was immediately going back off the sugar drug and continuing on to Easter, which was the original time frame for my sugar fast. It was not to be.

You see - I took a short little girls trip to Boston. I went with my youngster friends Missy and Christine. Missy owns a toy store and is also partners with my friend Karen in a great artisan shop and she was attending the gift show there and invited me along for the fun!!! So the caramel was a freebie that some candy maker had at his booth. Missy pointed it out to me and then remembered my sugar abstinence to which I replied, "That's it. It's over." Popped the caramel in my mouth (the joy) and I was back on the drug. And there was my conscious decision...but god did we have fun!

After we left the show, we headed for Quincy Market which actually was kind of lame but we managed to "get through it". We had lunch at this place called Dicks Something or other, where the waitstaff were extremely rude and obnoxious. (Apparently that is the way they are supposed to be.) Had a few beers there. Got really happy, went shopping again and then landed at Cheers. Yes - THE Cheers!

Now THAT was fun. A few shots and some beers later and I was even happier. Now I am not much of a drinker in my old age. I never was really that good at it in my young age!! And it doesn't take much for me to get a teeny glow going. But I have to say, tequila? Is that actually a drink or a drug? Cuz, I think it's a drug. I get really happy "there". I mean, check out this picture. Are we glowing or what? Missy says she likes me like this because I get giggly. I DO? Ha - now come on, do I look "giggly"? (Is that even a word?)

Now Missy and Christine - the youngsters? I would say they can party. I KNOW Missy can! (She's gonna kill me!) So I was a bit fearful about going away with them for a few days! I envisioned a late night of getting my stones busted, peer pressure drinking, being dragged around the town after my bedtime, headache, hangover - the whole 9 yards. But you see - I fooled them. I had a plan. JOEY initiated the drinking early. I figured - get them good and happy early and they would be worn out by my bedtime. Actually? It kinda worked!

After we had some fun with our bartender, Skip - I mean Andy (you had to be there. There he is making me a
Cherry Bomb), we headed to the North End - you know Prince Spaghetti Day North End? (dating myself aren't I???? Missy and Christine are so much younger than me that they probably don't even KNOW about Prince Spaghetti Day. Ugh)

Anyway - we had dinner at some Italian place and then the real problem began. We entered Mike's Pastries. OH-MY-GODDDD. I was doomed from the start of this trip. If it hadn't been the caramel (or even the Hershey's kisses calling my name three days prior), it was going to be all over on this night because Missy and Christine weren't NOT going to Mike's - trust me!

If you're from my area of CT, you are probably familiar with Libby's Pastries in New Haven. This was JUST like Libby's. It was a complete zoo, a mob scene. I walked out with a chocolate mousse cannoli (huge) and something called a Chocolate Moca. Cake with chocolate mousse and mocha chocolate fudge going on also. The girls decided to go back to our hotel, freshen up, eat some goodies and go have a few more cocktails in the hotel bar. I was actually on board for that. (I was such a big girl keeping up with the youngsters!!!)

Well, we hit that room, turned on a movie, I curled up on the bed, chowed the evil Moca thing and it was all over. The youngsters were BEGGING me to come out for a last cocktail and I was so over it. Movie, bed, chocolate?????? Nope. Sent them on their way and I was in heaven. Regarding my plan (you know the one about starting the drinking early?), it worked! I got a text about 15 minutes later from Missy informing me she was drinking club soda!! They were back in a flash and lights were out before 11. Party ANIMALS!!!!!!

So Monday morning comes and we sleep IN. 8:30 and I'm in my glory! We putz around, drink strong Starbucks coffee, take showers (eat a chocolate mousse cannoli! Aghhhhhh!) and decide to head down I-95 toward home and stop at Providence Mall for breakfast. Well it actually ended up being lunch at THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY. Good god - I told you I was doomed! Let me go over this again. If it wasn't the caramel (or even the Hershey's kisses calling my name three days prior) and it wasn't Mike's Pastries, then it was going to be The Cheesecake Factory because A) never been there and wanted to; B) cheesecake is only my most favorite sweet/treat. (2 Thanksgivings ago I ate a whole cheesecake by myself in 4 days. Aghhhhhhhhhhh!); AND C) I am a cheesecake purist and had been dying to put their cheesecake to the Joey Morman Cheesecake test. (I am truly a cheesecake snob.)

So, being that we skipped breakfast (well - I had the cannoli...oops, forgot about that little joy) we went right to work on lunch which was excellent. Then came cheesecake. I went for the plain cheesecake (Told you I was a purist. There's only like 100 different kinds to choose from.) with some glazed strawberries. The youngsters went Tiramasu cheesecake and Red Velvet Cake cheesecake.

I have to tell you, my choice was pretty darn good! Not as good as my OWN homemade cheesecake, mind you - but a close 2nd and certainly the best I've had out - in maybe forever. So once again - I was happy! And no alcohol involved!! Oh right - sugar drug...whatEVER (as Missy would say). Come ON - it's all about the joy...