jamnica

I don't think I ever thought that I would be writing about Croatian mineral water and Hurricanes in the same blog post, but life is funny that way, isn't it?

Jamnica (warning, this website is in Croatian). The mineral water of hurricanes. I bet the Croats never thought they would get that distinction!

When Michael and I were on our way home on Friday night from a lovely evening in Brooklyn -- literary walking tour, BBQ, red velvet cake, and the last subway ride for a few days due to the impending Hurricane Irene -- we weren't sure what would be open on Saturday & Sunday, so we ducked into a local deli to grab a few extra drinks before the storm. Originally, we were both just going to grab some Boylan's -- but I had a hunch that we might find something extra special in the back of the store, just because of the circumstances. Lo and behold: Croatian mineral water. How do I find these things?!

It turns out this mineral water is kind of narsty, and I really just would have preferred a Boylan's seltzer. The bottle cap is red writing on white. Nothing fancy. And no mention of Croatia anywhere. What gives?! But it makes for a great "last drink" story here on the blog.

Ultimately, my neighborhood made it out of what became Tropical Storm Irene (when it made landfall in NYC) relatively unscathed. There were some downed limbs, some flooding near the East River. But compared to Queens Blackout of 2006 -- where I went without power for a week, for no apparent reason --  Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene really just felt like a nasty rainstorm and an excuse to watch a lot of movies and eat potato chips and some pop tarts. Michael and I also managed to clean our refrigerator and under the sink in the kitchen, so all in all, a rather productive weekend.