Spring is here! (Hopefully)

It's supposed to be 80-something degrees this upcoming weekend, and this morning, there was actually a fair amount of sunlight streaming into my apartment through the windows. My sister-in-law was telling me last night about the amazing garden she's cultivating in Austin, and I felt pangs of desire to start my own. So here's my effort at my own urban garden.




I've planted seeds for rosemary, parsley, oregano, and basil. This weekend, I'll try to get some more pots to start seedlings of okra, cucumbers, and maybe even some flowers. I'd like to grow tomatoes and eggplant again as well - I had a lot of success with those plants last summer. We'll see how the New York summer fares for this stuff.

I have the tiniest little fire escape which will barely house these guys once they germinate, and the weather gets consistently warmer. It's plenty for a single gal like myself, though.

This plant is my lonely little gerber daisy that had beautiful brick-orange colored flowers last week. I think it'll bloom again soon, but for now, it's adding a necessary bit of green in my drywall and brick apartment.





Recap of my parents' visit: It was a lot of fun having them here. My mom took over the kitchen and my dad fixed and/or put together whatever he could in my apartment. The result - a well fed and very organized Manashi. They even bought me a small dining table, which my cousin was good enough to help my father put together. Good stuff. My parents went out to Jackson Heights one day and stocked up on Indian snacks and spices (which, apparently, I did not have enough of.) My cousin was also in town on Easter Sunday, and we all went to the Met and walked through Central Park that day. I sent my parents to see Blithe Spirit, which I raved about in a previous post. They enjoyed the play quite a lot, and I was just relieved that they got the jokes. My mom and I went to see a new Broadway show - 9 to 5 - which we both loved. The funny plot, solid acting, spectacular sets, and catchy songs all came together to make a really fun show.

(Above photo taken from the Roundabout Theater Company's website.)

And finally, last Sunday I went, with some girlfriends, to see The Philanthropist starring Matthew Broderick and Steven Weber. I really enjoyed it, but most people in the audience (my pals included) didn't really get the point of the play. It was one of those heady, absurdist plays that doesn't really have much of a plot, and I liked the subtle nuances of the oddball characters. Moreover, I was quite excited to see Matthew Broderick on stage. Steven Weber was very effective, too - I thought he made a fantastic network head on Studio 60, and it's wonderful to see him playing roles that differ from his carefree, never serious character on Wings.