dink

We spent an unseasonably balmy Saturday afternoon at the tax office, a depressing appointment concluding with the realization that we are basically penalized for our lifestyle choices. Married, no kids, no property -- in the eyes of the government, living "high on the hog" with no responsibilities. Nice to know paying off my car loan doesn't count, nor the fact that we're still paying off student loans and other personal debt, or that I help out my family. No I guess I have to justify my income by incurring even more debt in the form of a mortgage, or putting further drain on the city's infrastructure by spitting out some kids. In the meantime we owe State and Federal.

Angry and disgusted, we met Tim and Michele for lunch, where I ordered a beer to wash down my salad, breaking detox, and at the time not really caring. After lunch we met up with Vic for coffee at Cocoa Bar, and while I resisted ordering any chocolate myself, enjoyed a bite of peanut butter cluster. It was delicious.

Feeling better and worse at the same time, and in no rush to leave Park Slope, we left Cocoa Bar to find Alchemy, a newly opened gastropub. And so we did, 45 minutes later, walking the wrong way up 5th Ave before looking up the address.

Alchemy looks exactly how you would expect it to, complete with dark wood, antique fixtures and lit by the requisite Edison bulbs. I found it aesthetically pleasing, reminding me somewhat of a scaled-down version of The Alembic in San Francisco. With only two beers on tap, neither of which appealed to me, I ordered a red wine and snacked on toasted chickpeas. The menu featured elevated versions of pub fare like fish and chips, but we didn't order anything and soon left.

We concluded the day with dinner at Sette, drove home and immediately went to bed. Overall it was a good day, and I don't feel too badly about breaking detox, though I did wake up in the middle of the night in a slight panic, partly from the tax experience, and partly from guilt.

I'm back on today, and I'll get through the week again, and next Saturday we'll see what the day brings.