红酒·绿茶 / Red Wine & Green Tea / Vin Rouge et Thé Vert

Went to the annual CLSP/CIS holiday party at The Inn at Government House tonight and got drunk happily. For the record, I've been to each and every single one of the parties for the past six years. (Yeah, I loved Baltimore *so* much that I never wanted to leave.) Hopefully this was my last party. Good food, good drink, as always. Good to see some old friends like Sue and Laura. I miss them.

Hang In There, Baby! Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . Went to Gecko's with my friends. Had some wine then couldn't remember what I was eating. Later found myself over-eatten. It's gonna be a tough year for me so hang in there, baby!

I went to Obrycki's , a very nice seafood restraurant in downtown Baltimore, for crabs last night and realized that I had never written about our famous Maryland blue crabs . I guess people just tend to neglect good things around them. In fact I've enjoyed eating crabs since I got here. And thanks to a friend, I learned to dismantle crabs like a pro. Besides Obrycki's, I also liked Jimmy's Famous Seafood , which you can call to reserve jumbo size crabs. Last year the City of Baltimore started the Crabtown Project , where statues of crabs were decorated by sponsors and placed all over the town. One of the best designs was the Hopkins Blue Jays Lacrosse Team's LAX Crab , who proudly wears a No. 2 jersey of the amazing goalie Jesse Schwartzman's.

Went to Rocco's Capriccio in Little Italy with my friend Steve. It was fabulous in every detail of a great dining experience; a little pricey but absolutely worth it.

Vaccaro's in Little Italy Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . Went to Vaccaro's with my "ski gang" to celebrate my birthday with some delightful Italian dessert. Thanks a lot for their wonderful gift and interesting card! It's been a memorable year for me: Bought a Powerbook (you have no idea how much easier it has made my life), recovered from a devastating relationship, picked up some great hobbies like classical music, art and skiing, moved to a new apartment I really like and most of all, made some fabulous friends. My wishes for the next year: Stay positive, work hard and play harder. BTW, wanna know what I gave myself for birthday: 512MB PC2700 SODIMM Memory made for Apple Powerbook G4 by Kingston . (Finally, no need to close an application to open another.) :D

Little Italy is a cozy neighborhood in downtown Baltimore near the Harbor. Went to a nice dessert shop "Vaccaro's" . It was great. I liked their tiramisu.

Went to a wine tasting in Boordy Vineyards , one of the best wineries in Maryland. It was ok but the wines were sort of over-priced. I did get a Boordy glass, though. The best we tested was the "Syrah-Chambourcin 2003" from their Landmark series.

Che Guevara Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . Went to Noah and Karen's (announce of) engagement party in Little Havana , a very nice Cuban bar and restraurant. Nice environment and nice food with a great price. I really liked they put Che Guevara 's famous picture on men's room with the Cuban (I suppose) word for "men" and a female version of that picture and the word for "women" on ladies'. (For the female version, think about Madonna's Che-inspired cd cover for "American Life".)