A post in which I am VERY busy

I didn't really start panicking in time for today.  I was thinking about all I had to do this morning before I went to sleep, but it didn't really all hit me until I woke up this morning - at 9am.  I never sleep that late. 

When it all hit me, I leapt from the bed to put a buttermilk pie in the oven.  I had told Tony yesterday that I would make them a pie.  Custard pie is Rhonda's favorite, and I had left-over buttermilk that I needed to use up.  With my pie in the oven, I ran to the store for pasta and canned milk.  I had told Rhonda that if we went to the creamery I would make her and Tony a macaroni pie.  I busily started grating my Happy Cow cheeses, etc, and decided that rather than make one big pie and scoop half of it out for them, I would make two little pies.  So I found the appropriate casseroles and put two small macaroni pies in the oven.

I started getting ready.  Brunch was 'noonish' and it was apparent that I wasn't going to make it, but I called and told Rhonda, and I wasn't too late.  Marty and Petal were there when I arrived.  We went out for nasty Chinese buffet, which Marty insisted on paying for despite my protests. 

Rhonda headed for Augusta with them (with half her macaroni pie and the buttermilk pie for them to enjoy), and I went home to cook cabbage.  Only when I got home, I felt sleepy.  I needed a nap.  Since I had a left-over packed lunch in the fridge at work from Friday, I decided to take one.  If worst came to worst, I could cook cabbage tomorrow night.  I lay down for about an hour, and felt much better when I got up.

I threw the cabbage in to cook, changed the sheets on the bed, and folded laundry.  By the time I did all that, it was almost time to leave for the Bear Dinner tonight, which I had forgotten until this morning.  I threw the cabbage in the crock pot, got dressed, and decided to finish cleaning up the kitchen later. 

Dinner tonight was a Mimi's Steakhouse.  What I didn't realize was that it was at the one in Simpsonville.  Needless to say, when I showed up at the one in Greenville, there was no one there.  So after a quick phone call to Billy, I got the address and headed for the wilds of Simpsonville (I mean, who knew they ate Japanese food in Simpsonville?  I assumed they lived on possum and pone of some kind, but I digress).  As it turns out, the group wasn't even seated when I got there, so there was no problem with my being late. 

The turn-out tonight was huge.  We had 26 RSVPs going in, and we ended up with 38 guys at the dinner.  There were plenty of guys I hadn't seen in a while, and there were some new faces too.  It was a good thing that Billy had called ahead.  The restaurant was tiny, and we ended up filling up the entire teppanyaki seating area. 

I avoided the booger-eaters and snagged a prime seat, between Billy and two newer guys with Logan across from me.  I used to hang back and get a crappy seat - I've learned that lesson.  The new guy I sat next to was named Smitty.  He was quite nice, and charming, and I enjoyed talking to him.  He had a boyfriend, of course.  He was with Reggie - the source of the drama with Michael back in the day.  Reggie has done a major overhaul, and it took me a bit to realize who he was. 

This was one of the best bear dinners I've been to in a while.  I had a really good time, despite the chef giving me a hard time.  They knew who was there, and all the chefs we had tonight were cool and nice.  The company was good.  It was just fun.

Before I left, a guy I know named Daniel walked up and handed me a box of PopTarts from his wife.  We had been talking about them before the ice last week, and she sent me a box as a joke.  I got a big kick out of that.

But it was time to head home.  I took the Southern Connector home, but because I hadn't realized where we were eating, I didn't have quarters for the tolls.  I had to stop at both toll booths.  I was surprised to learn in chatting with one of the guys that people around here give them a really hard time.  They are apparently regularly cursed at, among other things.  I was quite surprised, but made sure to be extra nice to both of them and wish them a good evening before I headed home. 

While we were waiting for dinner to start tonight, Billy had helped me download Growlr on my new smart phone.  Having heard how amazing it was, etc, I was quite excited to try it out.  I was rather disappointed to find, on a test run tonight, that it was the same 20 or so guys I see consistently online, just now in my phone.  But it's a new thing.  Maybe something will happen.