Celebrity Sighting

Friday – March 7, 2014 – Celebrity Sighting

Who’s that man with the twinkling blue eyes, standing in front of The Auld Shebeen? Yes, it’s our favorite celebrity, Elliott Thompson, who has been sighted out and about town on several occasions this past week.  Winter weather may limit Elliott’s outdoor activities, but he’s not housebound by any stretch of the imagination.  As I write this, he’s out at the mall with Marshall, on a shoe shopping expedition.  Yesterday, he braved the chilly March wind and accompanied me to an early St. Patrick’s Day lunch at TheAuld Shebeen, an Irish tavern in Fairfax City.  (By the way, I learned that shebeen is an Irish word that means a place where liquor is sold illegally.)  We quickly warmed up with cups of creamy potato and leek soup and freshly baked Irish soda bread, then split an order of fish and chips.  That left barely enough room for dessert, but we managed to share a very generous slice of warm apple pie a la mode.  Our Irish meal will have to substitute for a trip to Ireland, since I don’t see any transatlantic travel in our future. 

Cozying up with Elliott at The Auld Shebeen

Of course, we couldn’t get through the week without another kitchen related outing.  As soon as the roads were cleared after last Monday’s snow storm, we headed out to see one of the kitchen designers we’ve consulted.  We made a few minor changes to the plan and hope to finalize our cabinet choice within the next few days.  In addition, Elliott has been studying electrical connections online.  I often find him in front of the computer screen for hours at a time.  However, at my urging, he is making an effort to keep his obsessive behavior under control. 

And a momentous event occurred in my life a few days ago when I purchased my first smart phone.  I resisted for a long time, thinking it wasn’t necessary, but I finally succumbed when my old “dumb” phone appeared to be on the verge of demise.  Now, of course, I love my new phone, an iPhone 5c, and I don’t know why I waited so long!  I especially appreciate being able to take high quality photos without having to carry a separate camera.  Today, for example, I was at the Natural History Museum with Eleanor and we were able to snap a picture in the entrance rotunda.  We spent nearly an hour in a fascinating exhibit on the human genome and then watched a film called Jerusalem in 3D in the IMAX theater.  Even though there were several school groups visiting the museum today, it was less crowded than it will be at the end of the month when thousands will descend on DC for the annual cherry blossom festival.