And we' re baaack!

Yeah, I know. It's been a long time. And I have no good excuse. I wasn't sick or out of the country (even that would be a lame excuse, since there are few parts of the world that aren't wired anymore). I took a break that I told myself would last a day or two. And * presto * it's late February, and I'm reading my blog and wondering what the hell I've been doing for the past four and a half months with all that time I used to spend blogging. I didn't have a good answer for that. So I figured it was time to pick up where I left off.
So, a quick recap. Inspired by our friend Noah's 35th b-day entry on his blog, here's a partial list of what I've been up to since October 10:
* Ate North American Cricket, served with pepper jelly and cream cheese, at the Explorers Club (along with sautéed rosemary rattlesnake and mealworm served in escargot butter--fortunately, we also got ample glasses of Pinot Noir to wash it all down).
* Met Peter Athans, a.k.a. "Mr. Everest", who has personally summited seven times, more than any other climber of non-Sherpa ethnicity.
* Ate "one of the last genuine Key Lime Pies in the world" in Red Hook
* Cheered my Arizona friend, Beth DeFalco, on in the NYC Marathon. Three months later, the AP (finally!) offered her a job she couldn't refuse, covering the NJ statehouse, and she is on her way out here for good.
* Indulged in a three-hour, six-course gourmet chocolate tasting at Michel Cluizel's first chocolate shop in the U.S., which happens to be in downtown Manhattan
* Checked out some boobies at the Museum of Natural History
* Survived the 2005 NYC transit strike without missing a day of work (okay, I worked from home two days and bummed a ride the third, but it was a good 3-hour round trip with all the traffic).
* Rode in a Bell JetRanger helicopter around Washington D.C.
* Spent four fantastic days in the Bahamas
* Played with my husband in more than 2 feet of snow in the middle of the street--in Manhattan!--during a record-setting blizzard.
* Sampled genuine Riga Smoked Sprats and Pama Pomegranate Liqueur for the first time (both highly recommended!)
* Took a Tai Chi class with my mom in Florida (amazing)
* Finished the 1,476th revision of my book proposal
* Went to a Tupperware party (four words: stainless steel fondue pot)
* Enjoyed my first Chinese New Years Dinner--all six courses of it.
* Watched a prostatectomy done entirely via robot
* Watched a Russian cabaret version of "Tequila" while drinking vodka (of course)at a supper club in Brighton Beach
* Celebrated the birth of a friend's baby
* Celebrated the engagement of four friends
* And (finally) returned to blog about it.