A post in which it is a pretty quiet Tuesday

Today was the first day I’ve had at work where I really had time to draw a decent breath since I took over the Canada stuff. I appreciated it and took advantage of it; since month-end and year-end for the fiscal year starts tomorrow, I know it will be a while before I see the like again.

I went through the grocery store (since I hadn’t gotten half the stuff I needed last night) and the library again tonight (I had the notice on a book I asked to be held). I was ready to be home when I got home. I picked up the stuff to make burritos, since I wanted Mexican and just couldn’t bear the thought of another salad. They were pretty good.

Since I did so much last night, tonight was my flop night. I have about 8.5 million things that need doing, but I just plain don’t feel like doing any of them. So I did not. I did sit down with my new phone and put in all the numbers that didn’t transfer last night. I will freely admit to being gizmo-challenged. When I put the numbers in my phone when I first got a cell, I put in the 1 before the area code, which of course cell phones don’t need. The numbers worked fine in my old phone, but didn’t transfer over to the new one. That was a poser to me when I was trying to call Dad today and the call wouldn’t go through. So that was one productive thing I did tonight in a pool of sloth.

A post in which it is a busy Monday

I had all my calls to catch up on today, plus the usual weekly reports to run. That is before even thinking about month end, which starts on Wednesday. Sigh. I was caught up when I left though.

I heard from Billy today. Russ shared with me last night that he had given his old phone to Joanne while they were here for Thanksgiving, so I had thought I was SOL. But Billy said that he would see what he could round up at work. Apparently they give old phones to charity when the employees upgrade them. He came through. He was able to get me a phone for free! So top of the priority list was to go get it tonight. I ran by their place and picked it up. Russ had been to the dentist today for an extraction though, so he was in bed. I thanked Billy profusely and headed out.

The next stop was the Verizon store. I was there about an hour, but they got it all switched over, even if they seemed somewhat taken aback by my lack of phone savvy. I can't be the only person that comes in there that doesn't know how to program the things. I was able to ID the phone Billy gave me as a nice Motorola that would have cost $190 new!! It's by far the most expensive phone I've ever owned. This one isn't as cutting-edge as the phone Russ had, but then I really don't need cutting edge. This one suits me fine.

Leaving there, I had to go to the grocery store. I had no fruit for the week and hadn't felt like going to the store yesterday. After that I had to go by the library to turn in a book on CD that was overdue.

I was finally headed home about 8:30, and thinking I would collapse and look up the phone online to find the instructions, when it rang. Fortunately it wasn't hard to answer, but I couldn't get it unplugged with one hand, so I was driving kind of hunched over. It was dana, and how great that my first call on the new phone should come from her! She and Miss Kat wanted to visit, and of course I said sure.

I got in and had just enough time to run over the worst of the cat mess, put away the groceries, plug in the new phone to finish charging, and put on my pjs before they knocked. It was so good to see them! I love them both so much. We had a nice visit and chatted for a bit before they had to head home. I still hadn't had any supper, so I foraged through the cabinets for junk before turning in. What a day!

A post in which I head home

I slept well, and got up ready to head for home. I've really enjoyed my visit, but it's time. I had breakfast with Mom, and got her Christmas tree down from the attic for her before I left. It was a pretty day for a drive.

I got in tired. Just feeling run down. I've been trying to rest as I go, but E-B is pretty demanding. Before I could lie down though, I had to clean the kitchen and bathroom. The cats had destroyed both rooms while I was gone. They had knocked all the dishes in the floor in the kitchen, and the bathroom is always a disaster area after a trip. After yelling at them until they hid, I completely cleaned the kitchen, re-washed the dishes, and put it back in order. I gave the bathroom a lick and a promise, and then unpacked.

After a nap, I felt much better. I got in touch with the gang to find out what was going on. Originally, I had planned to be home early today to go to a family thing where dana was going to pop the question to Miss Kat, but she hadn't been able to wait, so that was no longer on the agenda. But dinner was on at Jeff and James's house. I cleaned the bathroom top to bottom, scooped the litter box, and got ready to go.

When I got to the house, things seemed off. It seems that Jeff and James had had a rough time. Sadly, Amy and Aaron broke up this weekend. I'll spare the details, but infidelity was involved, and Amy had showed up at their house, distraught, Saturday night. They all proceeded to get severely wasted and stay up all night. James had had about three hours of sleep.

But we were all hungry, and glad to see each other. James had promised sushi, and Amanda had her heart set on it. After a lot of debate (heedlessly, since almost all the sushi places close on Sunday around here) we ended up going to Kampai. OK, so it wasn't the best sushi in the world, we reasoned, but it was in fact sushi. Well that would be providing you could get it. There was apparently only one waiter on duty. The service was incredibly slow. It was fifteen minutes to get drinks, thirty to get appetizers, and a full hour after ordering before our food was all served. We were all pretty over it, especially James. But it was edible, and we were all together.

We went back to the house and had dessert before I said goodnight. Another long week ahead, and I have much to do.

A post in which it is flea market day!

There are two flea markets very close to each other in Columbia. Whenever I visit Mom, I try to work in a stroll through. I've made some very good buys at each of them. We just got up, had a cup of coffee, and headed out.

We made short work of the first flea market, and headed for breakfast at Lizard's Thicket, another favorite stomping ground of Mom's. I had an excellent cheese omelet, and Mom surprisingly ordered a salmon patty (of course feeding me half of it) before going to the second.

Mom picked up a couple of things, and I got a splatter guard for my microwave at the Chinese dollar store, but that was the only thing I saw that I wanted. It's just always fun to go to the flea market though.

We went back to the house and I took a nice long nap. I'm trying to pace myself so that I don't have an E-B flare-up like last year. I have the next four weekends completely booked. I just don't have time to lay around. By the time I woke up we were both starving, so Mom fixed the rest of her second Thanksgiving meal. We ate a big lunch, and then went back to the mall. I wanted some lotion from Williams-Sonoma, and it was late enough by now that people were clearing out to watch the football game tonight. We were going to watch also, but we had plenty of time to scamper out and back before it started - still no Christmas socks for Ava.

We settled in to watch the Clemson vs. USC football game. I was thinking about dana, and texted her during the game. I also sent some saucy texts to Lisa, who has turned into a Clemson fan. Shortly before the end of the game, I sent this text to Lisa "Mmmmmm chickens eating puddytat," to which she replied "Hope they get indigestion!" It was fun teasing her. Carolina won! It was a great game, made all the better because I knew how happy it would make dana that 'her chickens' won.

A post in which it is Black Friday

I slept in this morning, and good for me. I need the rest.

Rod was up and out fairly early, leaving Mom and I to our shopping. We used to go every year, but had left off the tradition until last year. I really enjoy shopping with Mom, and asked her to make a little time for me. We don't shop the way we used to - neither one of us can do that much walking any more, but we enjoy spending the day together. We had intended to have breakfast out this morning, which we both love, but we started eating pumpkin bread, and eventually just decided to go on.

We headed for Bed, Bath, and Beyond first. I got Mom a second bowl for her KitchenAid mixer that she wanted. We looked around at a nearby shoe store because I want a new pair of saddle oxfords, but since those are a summer item they didn't have any, which pretty much set the tome for that. We went to the mall, but none of the stores there had them either. Mom almost got sucked in by the Dead Sea nail people again, but was able to escape just in time. We also looked for some Christmas socks for Ava, (Mom had worn some to the Christmas show and Ava had been fascinated) but no dice. No one had any for little kids, amazingly. I did find some really adorable pajamas for Ava though, and added that to her gifts from me. They were half price too.

We adjourned for lunch and Ibuprofen at Casa Linda, a great Mexican place where we had lunch last year when we were shopping.

Since we had struck out on the shoe thing, we went by Best Buy. I want a new CD alarm clock. I also did some research on the computer I want. Dad has said he'll get one for me if the one I pick out isn't too expensive. The one I found today, though, was $780. I think I can find one a bit more reasonable, so I'll do some more research. Rod had helped me out with the specs on it, but I don't think I need all the things he recommended. They were out of CD alarm clocks though, and didn't have a copy of Xanadu, which I wanted. In desperation, we went to Wal-mart.

Ordinarily I'm an anti-Wal-Mart kinda guy, but nothing else was working out for us, we were both tired, and we didn't have to leave the parking lot to get to the nearby store. So we went. They did have one CD alarm clock, so we got it. They still didn't have the movie, but I can order that online.

That done, we went back to the house to rest for a bit. I needed it. After lying down for a bit, we were ready for some supper. I took Mom out for her birthday tonight, since it is on the 6th and I won't see her then. We went to Outback, because that's what she wanted, and she went for the steak and lobster tails - and good for her. It was a very good meal, we had a very nice waitress, and she brought Mom's birthday dessert early, and sans screaming waiters, which made it even better.

It just so happened that the restaurant was just across from a Ross's Dress for Less. Mom and I both love that store, so we went in to wander around. She ended up buying me some new bedroom shoes, and I got her a teeny umbrella to put in her little ladies backpack. We also ran in the dollar store while we were near it. I needed something, and it's always fun to swing through.

After all that, we went home to relax and watch a bit of telly before we turned in. It was a lovely day with Mama, and I actually have a gift or two under my belt, thank goodness.

A post in which it is a Happy Thanksgiving

But a long day nonetheless.

I awoke to the smell of boiling chicken. Mom was making stock for the gravy. We had coffee and a light breakfast - Mom had made two large loaves of pumpkin bread. We were supposed to eat at 1pm, but I put a protein base on my stomach just in case. We all got ready, packed up the stuff, and headed for Lisa’s house, getting there right at 11am, our proscribed arrival time. Carl was there, but he and Cole had just woken up. Lisa had put some monkey bread out, and we all picked at it. Ava was going hell-bent-for-leather as usual. Since the guys weren’t awake yet, and Lisa and Mom were both busy, Ava honed in on me as her buddy. We played, I read her a story (surprisingly about monster trucks), and watched the Macy’s parade.

Dad and Eve were surprisingly late getting there, but we ended not eating until about 2pm anyway, so it didn’t matter. We all ate like hogs. It was the biggest meal I’ve eaten in I can’t remember when. Lisa had gone to a lot of trouble to go out and dig up Quorn breast-like pieces for me to eat. Although they were excellent, I was sorry to put her to the trouble.

The day had turned off surprisingly warm, and since they had already turned the air off for the season, and since Lisa had been baking since 6am, the house was quite warm. After lunch we all adjourned to the living room. I ended up dropping off for a nap, as did Dad and Rod.

Eve was having problems with her legs, and Dad took her on home about 4 or so. Reagan (one of Carl’s other daughters) was there. We were waiting for Lisa’s other step-daughter, husband, and kids to arrive. They did, and we had pie while they ate. Mom made four (!!) pumpkin pies, but we ate one, and left one for Cole, so that left only two for us. Wow. Carl and Lisa’s son-in-law, Joey, has gotten exponentially hotter in the last year. He was just a little piece of heaven right here on earth. I tried not to be the creepy gay guy, but man he looked good! I'm thinking it's really been way too long since I had a date.

The kids were a bit of an issue. They have three (I thought really, I would have all the kids this man wanted, but I digress). Ava is used to being not only the only child, but the center of attention at all times. I don’t think it helps that their little girl is very pretty, and has long, thick hair. Ava, bless her, still doesn’t have much hair. She started to pitch a fit that the other kids were playing with her toys. They were able to pacify her – just; but as much as I love her, she kind of showed her ass. She really needs to be around other children more than she is.

Eventually, we headed back to Mom’s place. She had left a chicken in the crock pot (more food) because she wasn’t going to bring turkey home. She boned that and we had a sandwich after basically lying around worthlessly for a while.

It was a nice Thanksgiving.

A post in which I head for Mom's

It was a fairly quiet day today. A lot of the office was gone, and it kind of reverted to the sleepy buzz that an office gets right before a holiday. It was a long day, but bearable. I am still ready for the time off.

Afterwards I scampered home (through town, highway 85 was of course a zoo), took care of the cat stuff, did a few last-minute things around the house, threw the bags in the car, ate a meatloaf sandwich (the last of it, thank goodness), and headed out. I was only home for an hour. I was very grateful that I didn't have to get on highway 85 to get to Mom's.

I made good time. I couldn't use the cruise control a lot, but compared to 85, 385/26 to Columbia was a breeze. I was at Mom's by about 8:30.

Mom immediately fed me her supper, which she had picked at and left to die. It manicotti from the Greek/Italian place near her house that I like so much, and I scarfed it down, unsure if it was as good as I thought or if I was just grateful to be eating something that wasn't meatloaf. Rod was there, and we cleaned the remainder of a freezer lemon chiffon pie out of the fridge while we were at it. Fridge space was at a premium, since Mom was not only making a lot of stuff to take tomorrow, but was making double batches of a lot of it "so we would have something here to eat on here". Let the stuffing commence.

We ended up chatting and companionably watching a marathon of Full Throttle Saloon, the reality show about a big biker bar in Sturgis, SD until bedtime.

A post in which I am packing

The antenna on my phone, which has been woogly for several weeks, finally snapped off today. Pretty much the worst timing it could have. Russ is going to give me his old phone, but there was no way I could get over there, get the phone, get by Verizon to have the service moved, and make it home in time to pack tonight. So I started off by gluing the antenna back on my phone.

I was soooo tempted to go out to eat tonight. I am so tired of ficken pie and meatloaf every day. But it's cheaper than eating out, and I know Mom is going to stuff me full of food the whole time I'm there. So I was a good boy, went home, and ate meatloaf. Again.

I got the packing done, and got to bed fairly early. It's a long day tomorrow.

A post in which I start getting ready to go

I am SO ready for some time off from work. Tonight I got in and did laundry. I was trying to decide what I wanted to take to Mom's and what needed to be washed. Meat loaf for dinner.

I'm trying to pace myself and not over-do. I'm having low-grade fever and stuff like last year around this time when my Epstein-Barr came down on my head so hard. There is just so much to do.

A post in which I make an impromtu flea market trip

I had of course intended to clean house today, but I was just barely up when Jeff and James sent me a text. They were headed to the Barnyard flea market – at 7:30. All of the flea markets have moved from the traditional early hours, but none more so than Barnyard, which seems to cater to a brunch crowd. I threw on some pants and went to meet them, but when we got there most of the vendors had not yet set up. Since I hadn’t had breakfast we scampered over to Denny’s while we waited. I had an omelet with a heaping side of witty repartee from the boys. Today’s wasn’t as good as yesterday’s was, but then it was hardly a fair comparison.

We went back and did the flea market. I've been feeling surprisingly fancy-free because I didn't have to cook this weekend. I have left-over chicken pie I can eat for lunches next week since it's a short week. So I was relaxed and really enjoyed the trip.

I didn’t buy anything, surprisingly. Jeff and James picked up some cake for the dinner tonight, and we left the flea market with James contentedly hitting first me and then Jeff with the cakes. We said our farewells, and I went home to work on the house a bit, have a bit of a lie down, and get ready to come back to see them. I did finish putting boric acid down in the living room, dusting the floor I had just cleaned yesterday. At some point I have to do some cleaning - the whole gang is at my place on the 5th, and they can't come in with it looking the way it does now. But in my best Scarlett O'hara-esque fashion, I decided to worry about that another day.

Dinner tonight was gnocchi and salad. They had first intended to make the gnocchi from scratch, but later (rather sensibly, I thought) decided to just boil some. They did two different sauces, both of which were delicious. One was a sassy tomato sauce, and the other a rich Gorgonzola cream sauce – luscious. I brought mango-flavored cheerleader beer since I had forgotten to get them last week. We ate until we couldn’t move, and then played a game of 10,000. All too soon, it was time to go. I have a very busy week ahead, and really can’t afford to start it off tired.

A post in which I run some errands and have dinner out

I needed to clean house today, but of course didn't feel like it. It was a gorgeous day, and I had only one egg in the fridge. I decided to run errands, and treat myself to breakfast out. I loaded up the car and hauled off the recycling, then headed for Stax Omega. I love their omelets, and I was ravenous. After treating myself to my favorite - the Greek, with fresh spinach and hunks of feta and a mound of fried potatoes on the side, Greek toast that was perfect, coffee and tomato juice - I felt ready to face the day.

Well actually I felt ready for a nap, but I decided to face the day anyway.

I went by a cheapo store to get some boric acid, and then to the grocery store for a few odds and ends (including eggs), and then headed home. I did boric acid on all the carpets, straightened up the bathroom (now a never-ending job, since it has become the cats' favorite room), cleaned out one corner of the living room, and then got ready to go to Russ and Billy's house.

Marshall, John, and Aaron were in town. We were all hungry when I got there, and finally decided to go to Golden Corral for dinner - I know. None of them are very adventuresome eaters. Still it was fine, and since we were hungry I was game. It wasn't too bad. They did have these little coconut tarts that were excellent. Not as good as Mama's, but then I wouldn't expect them to be.

We went back to the house and played Farkle until late. John failed to score round after round, but then got on a roll and ended up winning the game. It was good to see them.

A post in which it is like old times

I really wanted to go to Miss Kat and dana's tonight. It has been weeks! Happily, it worked out and I was invited.

It was so lovely to be back in the den with them, visiting and laughing. Miss Kat showed me an email I had seen before, but looking at it afresh (and away from work), I just found it endlessly hilarious. I laughed so hard I thought I was going to pee on myself! dana went out for desserts and brought back a pie that was frozen (it wasn't supposed to be). We ate it anyway. Frozen coconut cream pie is still pretty blame good, I have to say.

It was a great evening, and I was so happy to see them.

A post in which I go home and go to bed

I am tired. I'm not feeling my best, and I'm running a strange low-grade fever at times. These were precursors of the bad outbreak of Epstein-Barr last year. I sure would hate for that to ruin my holidays again!! I just started feeling better.

So after I came home and ate a meatloaf sandwich, I went to bed. I called Eve to find out how her doctor's appointment went today, and she actually had some encouraging news, which is really great considering how she's been suffering. I try to pet her a little bit, since she likes to be fussed over, and Cindy is apparently not going to call her. It seems to be such a small effort to make for something that makes her feel good.

Then I turned off the light and turned in.

A post in which I visit Dick and Eve

Since I was caught up enough at the house to go out tonight, I met them for supper at Mimi's Cafe. Everything there is horribly caloric (the average entree has about 1800 calories), but I wanted to see them, and I didn't particularly want to go home. They do now have a 'healthy entrees' selection, as well as a 'smaller portions' section that sounded quite nice, not that I took advantage of them. I ended up eating a roasted veggie sandwich that was quite good, but it was so messy I got it all over me. Still, it was tasty.

Eve continues to suffer with her health. The old surgical site isn't looking great, and the new site is hurting. She goes back to the doctor tomorrow. All I can do is commiserate.

We went back to their place and visited after supper. It was actually quite relaxed. I have noticed that now that I see them every week, there isn't as much pressure on me when I'm over there. I don't feel so much like I'm under a microscope. And Dad has toned down the poor-me-abandoned-by-my-ungrateful-children routine a good bit. I went in tonight, sat down, and had casual conversation as I flipped through a catalog and chatted. It was actually pretty nice.

A post in which I have another tiring evening

When I got in tonight, I had run out of gravy, which meant I had to make more of it for lunches this week. I'm eating ficken pie, and without gravy, it's just lacking. So I made gravy, set it out to cool, and changed a load of laundry. I ate supper and cleaned up the kitchen. Tonight's supper was a celebration of gravy. I had a veggie burger dipped in it, and then had an open-faced meatloaf sandwich smothered in it. It was quite excessive, and I ate too much. But I adore gravy, and I don't make it that often.

Since I'm still rather wiped out from the weekend and last night, not to mention work, it was good to get on in the bed tonight.

A post in which it is a busy evening

Since I had played all day yesterday, I had plenty of chores to do tonight.

I came in, changed the sheets, put the old ones in the wash, and ate some supper. I then put together the meatloaf to bake. That will be supper for this week. By the time I got through changing out the laundry, cleaning up the dishes from dinner, supper, and meatloaf, cutting a watermelon for fruit this week, and then packing lunch for tomorrow and taking out the trash, it was about 9pm, and I was ready to sit down.

I collapsed on the sofa and did very little else until bedtime.

A post in which I am unadvisably seduced

And no, not in the way you're thinking, unfortunately.

Russ and I had made plans to go to the flea market this morning, but frankly I was worried about time. I was supposed to be at their place at 3pm for the Sunday dinner, and I had four chicken pies and a meatloaf to make today.

I had just decided to let Russ sleep and get to work with Justin called. I invited him over for tea and raisin toast since I hardly see him any longer. I greatly enjoyed the visit, but just as I began to clear away, Russ called. He was up and raring to go. He told me that we wouldn't be there so long today, and that I could come later this afternoon. Since I wanted to go anyway, it wasn't hard to talk me into going.

We had a really great time at the flea market today. The weather was beautiful and it was just nice to be with Russ and Billy. I haven't seen much of them lately, and we're heading into the holiday rush. They'll be gone so much that I'll barely see them in December, although they will of course be at my Kindred indoctrination (provided I get the cookbook finished). We had a great time, but got back to their place about 1pm.

I ran through the grocery store for pie shells (getting verbally assaulted by a mean ole man in the parking lot in the process) and headed home to start cooking. I was in a frenzy of cooking when James called to find out where I was. At 3:30. Of course it was Russ, just yanking my chain, but I fell for it as I so frequently do. That man just loves to torment me.

By this point I realized there was no way I could get the meatloaf done today. I threw the pies together, negotiated the vagaries of roll out pie crust, cleaned up the kitchen, did the cat chores, jumped in the shower, and got to Russ and Billy's by about 5pm with pies still hot from the oven; which I frankly thought was pretty freakin impressive all things considered. I was paranoid about the gravy, which didn't taste right when I tried it on the stove, but by the time I got there the flavors had married, and it was quite good actually. I had many praises, which of course I relished. Billy made his onion pie, which is delicious, and a beer and beef pie which I heard was pretty tasty too.

We ate pies, visited, laughed, and enjoyed each other's company. It was a lovely evening. Even if Amanda refused to eat any of my pie because it had fake chicken in it. James had seconds :)

A post in which I am slightly less worthless than usual

I was determined to get some things done this weekend. I've been pretty damn lazy the last couple of weeks. I got a slow start, but once I finally got going I did get some things done. I went up to Trader Joe's today to see what they had, and although it was still too crowded I did actually buy some groceries, unlike the last time.

Unfortunately they didn't have the things I was looking for. I needed fake chicken for tomorrow. I had a frozen pot pie last weekend, and was so disappointed in it I resolved to make some of my own. Somehow this morphed into me making pot pie for Sunday dinner tomorrow with Jeff and James. But they cook for me all the time, and I really didn't mind.

I went over to Whole Foods and picked up the things I needed for the pies and for a meatloaf I want to make sandwiches out of for supper next week. I also picked up some pretty good chicken-fried tofu. It wasn't as good as mine flavor-wise, but the texture was excellent.

After I ran errands I was as usual planning on cleaning house, but also as usual decided I wasn't about to spend Saturday night cleaning house. I sent Russ a text, and cleaned the corner where I feed the cats while I waited to hear back. So I felt justified in going out.

I got to the house and helped Russ burning out his new kerosene heater to clean the wick. He got it for the back porch, and is very excited to have a new toy. We decided to head for Spartanburg, both because we wanted to eat at Thai Taste, and because Russ had gotten back the cushion covers he had made for Jeff and James' deck furniture.

The food at Thai Taste was just as gorgeously delicious as ever, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Then we went off to Barnes & Noble, partially to see our friend Morgan, who works there, and partially to look for gift ideas. I found lots of stuff I wanted for myself, but came away fairly idea-less as far a Christmas gifts go. I did get to check out the new Warman's Depression Glass books, and I have to say that they have really stepped up to the plate since Gene Florence retired. The new Warman's field guide for this year is impressive.

From there it was on to Jeff and James's house. We put the new cushion covers on and visited with Amanda while we waited for them to get home from work, surprising them. It was lovely to see them, as always, and we spent the evening visiting and talking. We also played a dice game they taught us called '10,000'. It's similar to Farkle, but not the same game. Of course we were there until too late, but you only go around once, ya know? I was enjoying spending time with my friends. I guess I'll sleep when I'm dead.

A post in which it is Friday night, at long last

I haven't seen Miss Kat in three weeks. I have been in withdrawal, and really couldn't wait to see her and dana tonight. Unfortunately they aren't feeling well. They still wanted to meet for supper though. Russ and Billy wanted to see them also, so on the way home I set up dinner out at Olive Garden. I know. But I was limited to a geographic area, a sit-down place, and no place too dressy. So I went out for my third night of Italian in a row. Not that I minded much. I really love pasta, and I would have eaten worse to see Miss Kat tonight. I have really missed her.

dana had been unable to wait any longer and had already proposed and given her the right she's been keeping secret. I thought this was supposed to happen Thanksgiving weekend, but I was terrified I would give the secret away before it happened. All that would have had to happen would be for Miss Kat just to get suspicious. Had she asked me anything, the jig would have been up. Whether I had said anything or not she would have known.

We had a nice dinner, and I had some kind of rolled lasagne dish that was quite delicious. We split desserts and then headed back to Russ and Billy's, leaving Miss Kat and dana to get home and get some much-needed rest.

Another lovely visit on the smoking porch. And yay for me.

A post in which I head for Russ and Billy's

I started home tonight. There was plenty I needed to do there, but I just didn't feel like going home to the house alone tonight. I called Billy and headed over there. I had forgotten that Brenden was still there until I got there. Of course I spoke to be polite. "How's it going?" he asked. I should have known better "Well," I said. "I haven't cried this week, so it's better than last week." "I have," he reported "a couple of times." I know he has a lot going on in his life, but geez he is such a downer.

We went to dinner without him. We ended up going to a new place for me called Lola's, also on Pelham Road. Russ and Billy had heard good things about it. It was OK, but I didn't eat anything that made me want to put a paper mache tomato on my head and dance around.

We went back to their house afterward, and Russ and I spent some time visiting on the smoking porch - one of my favorite places to be.

A post in which I see D'relda and Nicole

I was so excited about tonight. I packed a bag this morning so I could just go over to Donnie's after work. Which I cheerfully did.

When Nicole came in we visited for a bit. Apparently Donnie is having a rough time at work right now also. Although he was very nice about listening to me, he never quite got his story out, despite my trying to be attentive and bringing it back up.

We ended up going back to Della Ventura. I suggested it since we were in Greer anyway. Plus after tasting that red sauce that Rob had last week, I'd been lusting for it. I had mussels in red sauce over pasta. It was fantastic, but not quite as good as I had been fantasizing...

Of course they each took two bites of their food and they were done, while yours truly was sucking up pasta like a rabid hog. I ate every bit of my food, and then finished Donnie's dessert and ate some of Nicole's also. I am usually not a huge cannoli fan, but like most things they make at Della Ventura, it was exceptional. Nicole was telling us about all the behind-the-scenes stuff because she used to work at Della years ago. Everything was all the better because Donnie had bought a delightful red with us for dinner. There are advantages to having a wine guy for a friend.

After supper we just went back to Donnie's and visited some more. It was a very nice evening. I need to get out to Greer more often. I was trying to figure out how long I've known him tonight. It's around 15 years. Geez that's hard to believe.

A post in which I see the 'rents

I called Eve today to ask about dinner, and since they were going out of town for the rest of the week tomorrow, it was tonight.

I also got an invitation from Nicole to have dinner with her and Donnie tomorrow night, so that's two nights with company - yay me.

We went to a great place they found up on Pelham Road. The food was good, but Dad didn't eat much. He's been having stomach problems ever since his back surgery. They put him on such intensive antibiotics he hasn't been quite the same since. Eve says he's afraid to have the doctor look at him because he's afraid of stomach cancer or something serious. He's convinced he's going to die because he turns 64 next month. That's the same age my grandfather was when he died. Plus he's due in for another heart catheterizing. When they were planning this trip he wanted to stop and see some of his cousins on the way, but one was out of town and the other two were having serious health problems. One is in fourth-stage cancer. I'm sure that didn't help his mindset.

But they're going to Ocracoke on the NC outer banks, and they seem to be looking forward to that. I'm glad he has the freedom to get out and enjoy himself if he wants to. Lord knows I'd love to get away for a bit.

A post in which it is back to work

I was pretty sleepy this morning, but after some coffee and cigarette I made it in. I had smoked so much the last couple of days I didn't figure one more one way or the other wouldn't make that much difference.

Last week was so awful I had been really dreading work, but I've been hanging on so I could see my mom. We emailed back and forth during the day, but around 4 Mom called to tell me her class tomorrow had been canceled. She wasn't coming.

I was disappointed, but I was also pretty wiped out. So I just went on home, ate a salad and some frozen food, and turned in. The house wasn't really clean enough for Mom to come anyway.

A post in which the Sunday night dinner is on

I had to get something done today. Mom gets here tomorrow, and this house is a sty. Of course I had left it too late to do any real cleaning. I put a list together in my head of the things that absolutely had to be done.

I put a grocery list together, did the shopping, and then came home and made lunches for the week. I made a curried red lentil and spinach soup that actually turned out quite tasty.

While that cooled I straightened up the house enough to pass casual inspection. Since Mom will only be here for one night it should be fine. Lamp light always makes a house look it's best, and she'll be gone to class early the next day.

After cleaning myself up I went to Russ and Billy's to ride to Spartanburg with them. We left right about 5pm, but they had been up very late last night (as had I, although I slept in this morning) and were pretty worn out. We ended up sitting in the drive-through line at Starbucks for 20 minutes so we were late after all, but it was fine.

It was a casual evening. I was glad that Jeff and James didn't work themselves to death. We ordered pizza, played dice, had a couple of drinks, and just visited. I admired their beautiful newCape Cod style front porch they did themselves. It was great. I love them all so much.

If only I could find a commune or something to move into so I wouldn't have to go back to work...

A post in which I go to the camp out

I really intended to get some stuff done around the house today. I really did. But when I woke up this morning, my ass was just full of molasses. I really have no excuse. I indulgently ate my left-over pasta from dinner Thursday for breakfast. It was just as gorgeous as I remembered.

I lay around until it became obvious that I wasn't going to get anything done today. I decided to go to the camp out tonight, which at least gave me a reason to rest up. Plus I wanted to go anyway. Plus Russ started texting me at 11:00 to come up. It was going to be expensive for a day pass, which was why I couldn't talk dana in to going with me, but I decided it would be worth it. Eventually I got up, did the cat chores, got cleaned up, and packed up stuff to take.

Russ had helpfully emailed me the address this week, and I had no problem finding the place. The drive out was nice. The weather was pretty, as was the scenery.

When I got to the event, I was pleasantly surprised at the warm welcome I received. A good many people came up to say hello and hug. Some of them wanted to ask about desserts (I didn't make any), but some of them just wanted to talk. Everyone seemed happy to see me. It made me feel good. They even worked with me on the cost of the day pass, so it was a lot less expensive than I was expecting.

I hung out with Joanne, Rob, Chris, and Kindle for a while, and then shortly before dinner I went up to Russ and Billy's cabin to wake them up. The facility is really nice, and I was impressed with the cabin they had. We went down to eat, and then back up to the cabin with some friends to hang out until the dungeon opened (there was a presentation after the banquet I had already seen). We ended up playing a game called naughty charades that would have been incredibly lame if we all hadn't enjoyed each other's company so much. But it was great just to hang out with friends, laughing and visiting.

When the dungeon opened we went down. Russ of course had several scenes lined up (he did a particularly interesting one where they did saline inflation of labia that I would have really loved to have seen better), and Chris and Kindle were playing together, but I didn't seem to be connecting tonight for some reason. Russ set me up with a very nice woman named pat to have my boots blacked. They needed the attention, and she wanted the practice at erotic boot blacking. I've never had that done before. It was interesting. She did do a lovely job on my boots, plus she did my belt, and my vest looked great.

Sharp looking leather aside, it didn't seem like a whoopin' was in the cards for me tonight. Plus it was butt-ass cold and getting late. Since I wasn't staying over I had drive back also, so I headed on out.

Getting back wasn't too bad, and I was really glad I went. It was good to see everyone, but particularly Chris and Kindle. The more I'm around them, the better I like them. I just hate they're moving away.

I was glad I went, but I was also glad to get home to my warm bed.

A post in which I reach the blessed sanctuary of Miss Kat's house

Since I (mostly) finished that new stuff yesterday, today I just ignored it and caught up on calls and my regular job. Monday should be almost normal at work.

I was worried that dana would cancel on me tonight, but she didn't. She sounded notably out of spirits when she left a message for me that we were still on.

I ran by the library and got the second half of Gone With the Wind on CD. I've really enjoyed listening to it in the car for the last week or so, although the war years have been a bit grim. But the war is over now, and Ashley just came home, so I couldn't stop there!

By the time I got to dana, she had already ordered the pizza, it had arrived, and of course she wouldn't let me pay for any of it. She did seem to perk up, although I know I'm no substitute for Miss Kat. But we were together, and I was blissfully glad to see her. After not seeing them last week, and then the horrible week this end, it was like reaching sanctuary.

We hung out, watched TV, laughed, and just enjoyed each other's company.

A post in which I enjoy an unexpected visit

I almost finished the hell presentation today. There are some people out, and some aren't responding, but all the parts I could do without the input from others are done. I was pretty damn wiped out - it's been the most stressful week I've ever had with the company this week. Out of ten years with them.

To top things off, right as I was getting ready to leave work John called to break our date for Saturday. He tried a couple of lies, but didn't really have any of them straight. And I'm sitting there thinking at least lie quickly. Not only was he lying to me, but I'm having to sit through ten minutes of verbal dissembling and make supportive noises to get the lie. Eventually he said "I guess I'm not putting this very well." "Actually," I replied "I've been dumped before. I know what it sounds like." That pretty much ended the conversation. I'd like to know the real reason he decided to cancel, but it's not like I can force him to go out with me or anything so I guess it really doesn't matter in the end. Needless to say, getting dumped for no discernible reason really topped off my shitty week nicely.

After work I went to get my hair cut. Usually Russ has a waxing after me, but sometimes we still go out to dinner or something afterward. I had forgotten that Joanne and Rob were in town from Savannah for the camp out. We had plans for dinner and I had completely forgotten.

It was so good to see them. We took them to Della Ventura and had an incredible meal. Their food is always good, but it was out of this world tonight! Rob had mussels in red sauce (which I would never have ordered in a million years) and the sauce was so delicious I sat and ate it with a spoon when he finished the mussels. I had eaten so much mussel sauce and bread that I couldn't eat but about half my supper. It was outstanding too though.

Russ is determined that I will drive up to the camp out and get a day pass. I am not as sure about it. I don't know that I would be welcome if I just showed up without reserving a place. That seem presumptuous to me. But it's not like I have any plans for Saturday (now), and I would like to see everyone. Chris and Kindle will be there, and I think it's the last event they will attend before they move to Chicago. I'd really love to see them.

We spent a lovely evening visiting and talking as Russ and Joanne laid out stuff to take this weekend. It was so nice to have something good happen this week. I really, really needed tonight.

A post in which things are a bit better

I dragged myself resignedly to work this morning, again sans nicotine, and threw myself on the alter of the endless PowerPoint presentation.

I made some headway today. I was able to break through the block from yesterday and make some progress.

After work I went to Fried Green Tomatoes to have supper with Eve and Dad. That did give me something to look forward to. I need to spend evenings at home working on the cookbook, but spending all that time at home by myself weighs on me, particularly after spending all day around work people.

I went back to the house after we ate and visited for a while. It was a pleasant evening. I actually look forward to evenings at their house now. It's comfy and warm with the fire lit, no cat messes waiting to be cleaned up, and no housework looking at me accusingly. Dad and I work to be as pleasant with each other as we can be. We got into it a little bit tonight (his solution to all the ills of the world are church, guns, or the Republican party), but we both backed down in the end. It would be so nice to be that sure of everything. There are no gray areas in his world. It's all black and white. Or in the shady realm of complete denial.

A post in which I have a melt down

I dragged myself out of bed and to the office; with no cigarettes yet. I went into my boss's office and registered my displeasure with this steaming pile they have seen fit to dump on my desk to deal with. It's probably a good thing I didn't catch him yesterday - I was so upset I would have probably ended up getting fired. I explained to him that since the reward for taking things professionally and working hard was still more work, that I was in his office to complain like everyone else. My spleen (mostly) vented, I went out to my desk and got to work.

At first things went well, but then I got bogged down and couldn't get anything done. I had no idea what a lot of the things were or where the information came from. I was frustrated and had a headache.

When I got off work I decided to go by Whole Foods. There was something I really needed there, and I usually enjoy going. I was pretty shell-shocked when I got there. I would have just wandered around in a fugue state if I hadn't seen Vince. I forgot he works there, and a lot of the time when I go in he doesn't have time to talk, but he did today. He was nice to me, but I held it together. I told him I was having a hard day, and I'm sure he could tell I wasn't quite myself. When he walked up and slipped some flowers in my buggy, I started having a melt-down. These were the first flowers a man has given me since the last ones Michael gave me on our last anniversary. The combination of the horrible day and then the niceness on top of it took down almost the last of my control.

When I walked up to Vince on the way out to thank him I started to cry. I almost lost it completely. But I did manage to thank him and make it out of the store before I lost it completely.

I decided it was a good evening to spend at home, quietly. I did so.

I did make an effort to find good stuff to think about. I got in touch with John from the party last weekend, and made a dinner date with him for Saturday. Miss Kat's out of town and Russ and Billy will be at the Fall camp-out, so that's pretty much perfect timing. I also talked to Eve and made plans to have dinner with them tomorrow night. That's better than coming home and sitting here by myself.

A post in which things are worse than I thought

Ever since I was charged with the Canadian pile o' shit, I've dreaded work more than usual. But I was in this morning, working on month end. I felt that, although things were bad, I was finally beginning to get a handle on it. Even my boss's request for yet another weekly PowerPoint presentation was OK. I wasn't thrilled. But it was OK. Then the email landed in my box this afternoon, from the Canuck bitch, telling me that I would have her presentation to her by Friday. 22 slides, drawn from information that I've never seen. Basically because her people were too sorry to do it. So she's talked my weenie-ass boss into dumping the steaming pile in my lap. To say that I was upset is kind of like saying that the Titanic crew wasn't fond of icebergs.

Of course Alan was in conference all afternoon. When quitting time came I just logged out. I was way too upset to get any work done. Of course there was a horrible traffic jam this afternoon on top of everything else. I couldn't even get out of the parking lot.

So I went to the cafeteria, read for a half hour, and left. Alan skipped out the door right out of speaking distance as I left. Probably a good thing. If I'd talked to him this afternoon I would probably have been fired.

So I went home, ate left-overs, and stewed. I can't believe they have dumped this on me.

There was nothing on TV, of course. I just put a load of laundry in, dropped on the sofa, and vegged behind the computer. Time enough for unhappiness later.