3 on Thursday

I was supposed to go out of town this weekend but my mini trip was cancelled.  Does this change of plans upset me?  Not in the slightest.  After a trip to DC last weekend and visitors the weekend before, I am looking forward to a more relaxing three nights in my apartment.

I am NOT an animal print person.  It's just not my thing.  It feels gaudy to me and just doesn't fit into my typical style.  Every once in a while, however, it's nice to try something new, especially when there is no risk involved.  Since I didn't have to pay, a work event seemed the perfect opportunity to step out of my comfort zone.  Also, I love anything C Wonder blesses with their preppy touch so if I was ever going to introduce animal print into my closet, it would be through them.  Pattern choice aside, I desperately needed to replace my work bag since my old one was literally falling apart and this trendy guy at $78 is huge and cheaper than most bags I found whilst searching the web.  Plus, C Wonder monograms everything (as do I) so I got to give my new bag a personal touch.  I'm not saying I'm going to start walking around like a native of the jungle, but I'm pretty happy with my new tote.  

Even though Murray's Cheese is my favorite place ever, I had not yet tried their Cheese Bar - a restaurant next to their newly expanded West Village shop devoted to foods made with cheese.  While plotting our next move one weekend, we slipped inside for a quick glass of wine.  I should have known a visit to a cheese palace like this wouldn't end with a glass of wine and it took all of two minutes before an order had been placed for a meat and cheese board.  We went with the 5-piece Cheesemonger's Choice.  You can request all meats, all cheeses, or a mixture.  We decided on four cheeses and one meat (prosciutto).  The best part was that the waiter actually talked to us about what we wanted to see on our plate.  Usually a cheese plate is a more generic, pre-selected package with simpler cheeses like a basic brie.  I recalled a specific cheese I had seen in one of my Murray's emails (yes, I receive the emails) and he said there would be no problem putting that on there.  We then requested the spread have a mix of textures ranging from double cream to semi firm and include a stinky blue.  Our waiter was a great listener and produced just that.  Instead of having the accoutrements like jams haphazzardly sprinkled around the plate, each cheese was specifically paired with something.  A double cream from my home state of Georgia went with pickled raisins while a sheeps milk gouda was meant to be eaten with caramel.

It's always great to participate in a happy hour with my alumni group, the NYC Dawgs, but even better when it's tied to a good cause.  Last week we met up at the beautiful Beekman Beer Garden and all attendees brought along items for Operation Backpack, which provides school supplies to New York's homeless children.