I have arisen from a nap and dinner, and I am about to go take a longer nap—about seven or eight hours worth of nap, I think. Maybe nine or ten. It has been a long long time since I've felt this tired. I mean, I've been tired before, but it has been awhile since I've had a hard time holding my head steady, and an even longer time since I've had problems driving. I was safe, though—only fifteen over on 95.
So, I guess there's no convenient way to summarize very effectively.
Thursday, I picked M up at the airport. Traffic was insane. I left work at 4:05 and probably arrived at the airport around 5:30 or so. We didn't get back until 8:30 or 9, but we did have dinner at a PF Chang's on the way, mostly to wait out the traffic. It took us probably about an hour to get there from the airport, at least, and it is maybe seven miles away.
The food and company were both quite good, and we enjoyed a brief chat with a woman outside the restaurant. She was meeting people for dinner; they were late on account of the massive snarl of cars that had invaded US 1.
We chatted that night, and I worked a half-day on Friday. After I returned from work, we headed out for a frisbee toss at a local park, where we worked ourselves into a smelly mass. We then headed out for some lunch at an air-conditioned restaurant near the theater, where we unfortunately saw the new Pirates movie. We got in matinee. I think we're going to see Pirates 4, unfortunately. It's going to be like the Rocky series, but without all the good plot and excellent lines. A shame, since the first Pirates movie was so good.
In any case, we got out later in the evening, headed back home and probably did next to nothing that evening.
Saturday was J's wedding, which was great. I gave my regrets, not attending the reception. J did a magnificent job on the vows; he has a preacher's voice when he wants, and we all heard them loud and clear. Play the man! I told them not to screw it up, and just like that. That was probably a mistake, but I think he understood at least. She looked a little uncomfortable—I guess I have that effect on people sometimes.
In any case, it was excellent to go, and I was able to catch up some with his family, who all greeted me very warmly. I actually did not recognize J's sister when I first saw her (at a distance, to my credit, and my vision is not exactly the greatest). Naturally she knew exactly who I was (and P, who was standing to my right) immediately and led us straight to the groom's room. Strange, but none of them were dressed; J's tux had been left behind. His wife's parents went to pick it up, and he looked sharp at the ceremony.
The drive to the wedding, incidentally, was very, very pretty.
After the ceremony, I qibbutzed with a few mutual friends, then made my way back to chat with his parents. His father in particular was rather encouraging, telling me to pursue my on-hiatus writing career. Fiction is really, really hard, though, and so I'll be sitting on it for awhile until a story finds me. Stories are very difficult to grasp.
In any case, the opportunity to catch up with a few people I hadn't seen, and to see his family, was very nice.
I got home around 5:30 to a steak dinner. Mom outdid herself a couple times, actually. But the food was excellent, and we watched some movie afterward. I think it was Pursuit of Happyness, which was ok. I think M actually probably understood that movie better than some people would.
We talked a fair amount, I think, then headed to bed fairly early.
We hit up church in the early morning, then to breakfast at a semi-local cash-only diner. The food was excellent and we had a lot of good food and coffee. The waitress was very nice to us, and I think I tipped appropriately. Food's on me if anyone wants to come visit, by the way—I enjoy sharing good dining.
It's actually on Valley Forge Road...sort of. 23E goes straight to Valley Forge, so we headed there next, 4/40 AC going full bore. (It was probably closer to 4/60.) Unfortunately, it turned out to be a very hot day. Well, not very hot in comparison with some places, but hot enough that walking around Valley Forge didn't seem all that appealing. But we did visit Washington's headquarters and the memorial chapel (a later addition to the site). We actually had the opportunity to watch the bell player do his thing. It was very loud and required walking about 112 steps (no joke) to the top of the tower. But he was a nice guy and showed us how it all worked. Turns out he had a bell for each state. They were labeled thus on the organ-like apparatus he used to ring them all.
After we headed down, we drove through the rest of the park (with real AC this time) and then back home. We chatted with the folks and I dorked around with M a bit on the computer. I made him a copy of Feisty Fawn, since he had an older version of Dapper Drake. We may have watched another movie—I know we watched two while he was here, but I'm too tired to really know what's going on right now, to say nothing of what happened yesterday.
We were up fairly late talking to the sis, and they evidently hatched many plans for myself and for themselves. I went to bed around two or 2:30.
This morning, I was up at 7 to get into work at 8. An Israeli client was having some problems with license-checking, and they spent all of last week on holiday. I offered to come in to work for them today because they are transitioning one of their team members and they are on a tight time budget.
They were appreciative. I came home around 9:15 to finish up from home.
Mom fixed a late lunch of salmon, green beans (with bacon), and rice. It was heavenly. M told me on the ride to the airport that he didn't think he had ever eaten so well as this weekend. Mom does make some really good salmon. We were glad to help, both with the preparation and the consumption.
After lunch we played a few hands of euchre. Dad and I partnered on a few hands, and Mom and M. The other team won, but by a score of 4-2, since we didn't get to play the whole game. We left around 3:30 for the airport, which seemed considerably closer this time (since there wasn't any traffic).
I was sorry to see him go. Of all the people I met in college, he was the one I liked and respected the most, and it is rare to get an opportunity to have friends of that sort. The 'rents were extremely happy to have him around, and we just had a terrific time. It was an excellent weekend. It was just too short.
I am probably going to be ruined for the rest of the week. And it was worth it. The motto was, "I'll sleep when I'm dead." If I don't sleep soon, I certainly will be sooner than later.
22 comments:
*contented sigh*
Can I take this to mean you are not even functionally illiterate when it comes to the culture?
My family kicks butt at Trivial Pursuit-well except my mom. My middle brother though is the Master of Pop Culture References. He can remember the gist of commercials from 1983.
Anyway I knew the comment would go right over your head, which is why I originally posted it. :P
I also knew you could still read the deleted post, but then I thought someone else might read it and think that was pretty mean-because there are people out there who know the song. What if they saw and misconstrued the comment? So I took it off. I don't know what kind of people from your old Christian school might come stumbling across this blog, so better safe than liberal.
Also I laughed really hard at the thought of the misconstruing. Sorry about that.
I was going to ask what the point of working on a holiday is for you. I know why I have to do it-if no one came in half of the residents would be dead and the psych patients would be running the place-but why does anyone else? That sucketh mucheth. I hope you got stat pay.
Sometimes I hate having to sleep, these are usually the times when I stay up for 32 hours at a time and having to eat or other ADLs are also great impositions-usually because I am fixated on some project or another. I have often said that there had better not be any of this in the kingdom. Well eating should be, because the kingdom wouldn't be right without pie.
But only if you want to, not because your blood sugars are plummeting.
Have a good sleep...
No. You are not functionally illiterate. If you are unfamiliar with Lou Reed you are plain old illiterate. And obviously never had any predilections for being the ultimate bad...uh, asterick-dollarsign-dollarsign.
Which isn't a bad thing and I suppose explains why you get along with your parents. That last comment gives me the feeling that I would have been the kid your parents didn't want you hanging around with. :)
You know the only band on your list that I've heard of and listened to besides Petra is Guardian. So I guess I have my points of illiteracy also, especially if we're talking about math.
I have to add that I love Tom Petty-which everyone in my family bugs me about-Free Fallin however is my absolute least favorite song of his. Heh.
Yes I listened to Whiteheart. I went through a short period in the early 90's-when I first discovered there was such a thing as "Christian" music-where I listed to almost anything with the label. Most of the music I am embarrassed to admit that I ever owned was bought then.
I am less chagrined about loving Thriller AND Bad (and secretly still listening to them), or that I used to Hammer dance on my coffee table than I am to admit some of that Christian stuff. eep.
The ones that I still enjoy, regardless of how good they may or may not have been include Petra, Guardian, Bloodgood (I mean who doesn't love old hair metal), Newsboys and yeah Whiteheart. Plus some specific songs and albums of selected other bands.
As for the friend, hey we have something in common. You had a friend that swore a lot and I...oh wait I guess I have something in common with the friend.
Regarding being a dork, did you see this test? I came out as pure nerd. Probably because I have a weakness for retarded online quizzes. Ach.
So what do you do on Tuesdays, make them sit in the Comfy Chair?
Somehow the cool modern thing just seems wrong. I scored something along the lines of 60% Nerd, 20% Geek and 40% Dork on the test and I still ended up as a plain old nerd (and yes I laughed at the question about constantly quoting old movies, etc).
Most of the Christian music I wish I had never bought was not bought because of it's merits, but because hey that's Christian, right on. I told you Christian subculture is a macabre sort of fixation for me.
Normally I follow the Duke Ellington school of musical appreciation, whose guiding principle is,
there are only two kinds of music: the good kind and the other kind.
So yes I too like what I like without much concern for what others think. I do however mock other people for their bad choices and expect to hear the same when people find out that I own the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.
I should be doing yard work, maybe I will see if I can prod my indigo vat back to life instead.
I watched SNL when I was like five years old, when Eddie Murphy was first on there. Those were hilarious. Clarence the fifth Beatle is probably my favorite.
Also Buckwheat has been shot.
Hi I'm buhwheee amember me?
Matt Foley was Chris Farley's definitive work.
Chris Rock as Nat X was good. The chick who did Donatella Versace was a later one that could be pretty funny. More Cowbell was ABSOLUTE GENIUS.
I once heard that you know you're old when you remember when Saturday Night Live was still funny. So true, heh.
Damn straights I own the classic Saturday Night Fever soundtrack (it's kind of an amusing story how I acquired it too). I totally LOVE the Bee Gee disco songs. I used to play these constantly back in about 1991, right when everybody else was into Grunge. They complained bitterly, then proved themselves to be complete hypocrites about five years later when the N-trance version of stayin alive came out. All of a sudden some gatekeeper said it was okay to like it and they all figured it was great. Frickin poseurs.
My brother used to sing How Deep is Your Love all the time. Ah fun days there.
Which goes to show how bad some of the Christian stuff is.
the verification word is Azwacajy-owatinay's aztec cousin.
Don't worry, everyone laughs at me over the SNF soundtrack. It's cheesy, but I still love it.
And yes all those people are, as the Kinks said, dedicated followers of fashion (you may go look it up). Yes indeed, followers.
My brother would sneak into my room in the morning while I was sleeping to turn the record on and then jump on my bed and sing How Deep is Your Love as loudly as humanly possible. I don't know that it was good. Annoying, yes.
Wow, you're not even familiar with More Cowbell? Poor you. I wish I could show you my copy of Clarence the Fifth Beatle, it is one of the funniest things ever.
Your life was traumatic when you were in grade six wasn't it?
We say Azwacajy to Mexican caregivers when they won't take us for smokes.
Paint yourself with bugs. Cochineal to be precise.
Woad is the only source of indigotin that grows in northern Europe, and it is a safe bet that the celts et al used it.
You know that as source of indigotin, woad dye is identical to indigo (though it yields smaller amounts) once reduced-and did I mention my vat has begun to turn green (I admit I am shocked-after two years outside!!), once I warm it up it will be good to go should you need some. :)
Scots don't need you or your girly toe socks either.
Ah yes, Ethan's 6th grade year. I remember a specific girl he liked... oversized glasses that made him look adorable... and him tucking his jeans into his socks (I have never known WHAT that was about). That was traumatic enough for everyone else, anyway, and I can't imagine that it didn't permanently damage his psyche as well.
Haha! I found one: Behind The Music: Blue Oyster Cult
Now your life is a little more complete. If someone (like me) ever says "I just gotta have more cowbell!" you will get it.
I hate wikipedia. I got sucked into various and sundry articles refering to the Paul is Dead legend while trying to find the clarence sketch.
And you said you were little when you tucked your jeans into your socks!! Ratted out by people who know you best. Ha.
That cartoon is just why I hate wikipedia, or at least getting sucked into the what's this *click* whatsthis*click*whatsthis*click* ad infinitum.
I guess it's less "hate" (you may have noticed the frequency with which I assign either eternal abhorrence or undying devotion to pretty much everything) as I just wasted two-three hours of my life-daaammnnn yoooouuuu wikipedia!
I do however truly hate them for their hideous entry on Athanasius.
Have you ever seen the Continental sketches with Christopher Walken? Those were always hilarious.
The funniest part of the cowbell sketch is where Will Ferrell is banging the cowbell RIGHT in buddy's ear.
When I first read "my roommate sophie year" I thought when did he start using people's full names? Hee.
WMRC seems to think that if she sits on my keyboard I will pay attention to her. Have I mentioned the fact that she has become a drooler somewhere within the last few months? Animals.
Have you seen uncyclopedia? I laughed so hard at many of the entries.
Especially the part about THEM being clinjas-that's just what we used to say!
That cartoon reminds me of one of our residents who has three stuffed cats. She is confused in the most amusing way. And she runs up and down the halls.
I REALLY don't want to go to work tomorrow. I have to work with...certain people. That I don't want to work with. Where are the serfs when I need them? Probably living it up in the bowels of Canada Customs, or in the apartment of the plant workers who steal my mail. Augh!
I hate science and math. There are only a few things you don't have to question in the world and that is one of them.
I only use them when necessary, and usually with a calculator for the adding. Even then I have a tendency to get tired of the formulations I use for dye and paint-making and eventually just throw "some" of this and "a little" of that. Both highly accurate scientific terms, I assure you.
I do find them a little easier to use in concrete terms though, as you see the effects of what is going on. Like you could die if you screw this up. That's pretty concrete.
You did catch on to one of the ironies of my life-because I do natural dyeing, I have had many people think I am a chem whiz. I can remember telling my CCA class about chrome, it's properties blah blah, and somehow this meant I should have been a chemist. No I just don't want to die when I use it. Yet. And you have to have good arguments when you say to a bunch of other dyers "I use chrome and look at my yellows!" It would be like proclaiming Christ at a Unitarian cuddlefest of tolerance and diversity. Dangerous.
The only time I was reasonably good at science was grade 11, because I had a teacher who was a physics major and chem minor (usually we had the home-ec teacher who knew less than we did about the subjects) and when I asked her "WHY is this the right answer?" she could tell me. Well more than "it just is."
Plus the first day of school I wore the shirt I got from the Wake-up Call tour and she came up to me and said "you like Petra? They're one of my favorite bands and I've never met anyone else who even knows who they are!"
This of course showed that she was obviously a decent human being.
And she used to mock biological theories a lot, which was cool because our biology teacher was stupid and I spent more time skipping that class than I did there. Or I slept. Or ignored everything he said.
Do you make statements like the last one about painting yourself on purpose? Is this an assassination plot, hoping that I will just stop breathing and keel over in my chair? Good lord.
Hey guess what I had a dream last night and I think you were there, but you were a really little kid. I didn't notice if you had your pants tucked into your socks though.
The psych patients were there too, and they were being easy to get along with. And it was Christmas. I wonder what my subconscious was trying to tell me-other than that I have whacked out dreams.
Man this is too long.
And the dedicated spot for dyeing is outside. Or the porch where my workstation/deep freeze is.
I have always had wild plans for the Super Ultimate Studio, BTW, and they do include sinks and wet application areas. Plus easy to clean floors.
My shift just got expanded. How much do you want to bet it was the person I don't mind working with that called in sick? AAaaahaHHH
My comment was too long?
Fine, FINE, I'll never post a long comment on your blog again!
Instead I will post eleventeen short ones.
ha HA!
How could you not have had a teacher that knew Petra? You yourself told me you went to a Christian school.
cont...
My aversion to science/math is that science/math people's minds work one way and my hamster wheel works a totally different way.
Cont....
They just didn't get what my trouble was, and they'd try to explain HOW something was done. I didn't care how, I wanted to know WHY.
The answer was inevitably "it just is."
Cont...
The person who called in was the one I find especially hard to work with, so it turned out okay.
And we played with a hula hoop, that was fun.
Cont...
YOU WEAR A SLIP?!
Cont....
lastly, are you sure you want to rag on my long comments anymore?
Have a good day. I know I will-I just got another pair of shoes.
hAHAH
Pre-emptive strike!! Yes.
You have to be quick to get there before I do; my shift ended at 1430.
Now I find out the truth-you haven't even sent the slaves yet!
A couple of those comments went in with the first hit of the publish button. I was shocked.
Maybe I will deconstruct my comments someday. But when you aren't expecting it-suddenly there are the bizarro comments.
And I have a feeling you actually would try to figure them out rather than just saying "screw that" and coming over to my blog and yelling at me for my heavy drinking(which would be my method of handling the situation).
That would probably be fun.
I am afraid of what type of underwear you meant when you wrote "slip".
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