Game night at Russ and Billy's

Work went well today. I had my monthly meeting with my boss, and after dumping more work on me, he hinted around that there could be an assistant in my future. That could be cool. Not only that, but the first candidate for the job is competent and someone I would enjoy working with. They told me they would expand my department when I started the job - eight years ago. So I'm not holding my breath for this to happen tomorrow. Still, he wouldn't have brought it up if there wasn't serious consideration.

In other surprises at work, we got an extra check today. The company's earnings were higher than they thought, and they bumped up our profit sharing a bit. Good news with all these other companies laying off. Our sales are soft right now, and they did a round of lay-offs in December (I know) just to keep us on our toes, but last year overall was very good. And I am not proud. I will take extra bit of money gratefully. Visa loves it when I get paid.

On the way home, I was horrified to note that the apartment complex near me has cut down all their 20-plus year old ornamental cherry trees. They were by far the most attractive thing about those apartments. I'd love to know what idiot came up with that brainstorm -

Looks like the freakin Lorax lost, doesn't it?

I went over to Whole Foods for inspiration about what to cook for lunch next week. I've been eating peas and greens from New Year's this week, and I 'm sick of them. I also wanted some HFCS-free sodas. I don't drink a lot of them, but I like to have some in the house. Inspiration did strike, and I'll be attempting to re-create a recipe that a restaurant here in town used to make that I loved. They went out of business, but this recipe was killer.

Anyway, while I was at the store I talked to Billy, and Brian and David were going out to dinner with them. I was invited. I was so ready to start the weekend I ran out of the store without the soda I went to buy. But I had an idea, which was the real reason I went in anyway. Plus I had the fake chick'n I needed to work on that idea.

When I got home, there was a belated Christmas miracle. The UPS man had actually left a package on my porch. I have been at war with them for some time because the driver on my route refuses to leave things at the house, instead seeming to cling to the belief that I should quit my job and stay home to wait for him.

The package was Michael's Christmas present. When I opened it, I laughed out loud. He had sent me 5 cans of Latvian Nova Sprats, a little canned imported fish of which I am inordinately fond. You can't buy them around here (act surprised) so I usually have to order them off the internet, but he can buy them up there just off the shelf. He also send me a jar of pickled garlic sprouts, which I have never eaten but which sound very tasty. It was the last little box that got me.

Before Michael left, he shopped and shopped for weeks getting things to set up his new place in NY. I went with him on those trips, and they were fun in a heart-breaking way. It was the most time we had spent together actually engaging in conversation in months, and I was remembering why we liked each other to start with. But at the same time this was all preparations for him to go, and I knew that he wouldn't be like this if he stayed. It was right around the holidays. It was the worst Christmas of my life. While we were out shopping, he went in World Market and bought Christmas ornaments they had on sale. Now ornaments for me are not quite as important as the story that goes with them. I have some given by friends, some I bought on trips, etc. I couldn't imagine why he would want to buy ornaments that year, because they would just upset me and remind me of that time whenever I got them out. In the small box from Michael was one of the ornaments he bought that horrible year. It was kind of a punch in the gut. I went from laughter to pending tears in a moment.

I called him, after a bit, to thank him for the present. I was wondering why he sent that ornament. I brought it up in the conversation, and he of course didn't even remember where it came from. That would figure. I went on to Russ and Billy's in a strange mood.

We ended up going to Portofino's for dinner. Apparently David is incredibly picky about what he eats, and is another one of those people who Consumes No Vegetables. In the South, you'd be amazed how many don't. It makes me nuts of course, but that's his life. Anyway, we went for Italian so that he could get pasta, and he ordered a steak. Yeah, I know. In an Italian restaurant. He did surgically remove some lettuce leaves from the salad so he could taste the dressing. The salad there is practically fucking orgasmic, it is so good. Plus they serve it with bowls of little yeast rolls covered with melted butter and shaved fresh garlic. You don't know whether to shit or go blind they're so good. So it wasn't a huge sacrifice for me to go eat Italian. Olive Garden was mentioned, so I quickly suggested we go get real food instead.

I was compensating for my aggravation over David's eating habits by being snarky. A picky eater just makes me insane. The waitress came out, and he asked what kind of soda they had. Coke, Diet Coke, and Sprite. "Just the three?" he replied. "No," I said, "since you asked the question, now she can tell you about the secret soda. She dispenses Sarsaparilla out of her ass." I think the waitress almost laughed at that one. I was a bit stung too, because when she had asked about how the checks were done, I had indicated that there were two couples and I was on my own. "Yeah, he's the fifth wheel." David said. Yeah that one hit a bit close to the bone. David is overall a nice guy though, and I like him. He's just bitchy - and I'm the pot calling the kettle black on that one. He usually uses his powers for good, meaning usually that bitchiness is aimed at Those Who Are Not Me.

After dinner we came back to the house and did the game thing. David wanted to play Trivial Pursuit. I loathe that game, because for people like me its just sitting there waiting to say "I don't know" occasionally. David was getting questions like "Yellow and blue mixed yields what color?" While every one of mine started out "What 1940's Nova Scotian pole vaulter..." Yeah. After that petered out, we declared David the winner (since he had two pieces of pie - more than anyone else) and played Farkle for a while. Billy ended up winning. He said he had never won that game before.

Things pretty much broke up after that, but it was a lovely evening overall, and I enjoyed myself.