A post in which it is a glorious Saturday

It was beautiful this morning.  I woke up intending to set out early, but didn't quite make it.  I had errands to run though.

Eventually, I headed out into the beautiful mild weather to run errands. 

First to Big Lots.  I had planned a trip to Happy Cow Creamery with Rhonda tomorrow.  The last time we went I realized I had left my cooler freezer thing-y somewhere.  I had been meaning to pick one up, but kept forgetting.  They hadn't had any at the grocery store last night, but I found quite a selection today.  None of them were as big as I wanted, but I just got two.

Thus prepared, I went on to Dollar Tree for gift bags.  I frequently give bottles as presents (don't judge me) but I always seem to be out of bottle-shaped gift bags, and of course bottles are impossible to wrap.  I found a nice selection of gift bags and picked up several so I would have some.  The prettiest was a purple laser-printed one that I'll have to save for a special gift - it's pretty.  I just can't see paying premium prices for gift bags, which are essentially disposable, when I can get them a the dollar store.  I mean, they're just bags, right?

Then it was on to Aldi.  I continue to be impressed with the quality of groceries available at cheap prices there.  Many of them are name brands, and frequently they are a third less (if not more) than at the grocery store.  I didn't buy nearly as much crap today either.  I had a list, and pretty much stuck to it.  But they had prepared pizza crusts on sale ($3.50 for two, plus sauce packets) so I got those.  I've been craving pizza lately, and this way I can make my own for dinner at the house this week.  Yummers. 

I went home for lunch (by this time I was hungry) and then back out to the grocery store for the 'fill-in' items they didn't have at Aldi.  I was inspired by some fresh hoagie buns Friday, so I had decided to take ficken and swiss cheese subs for lunch next week.  I returned home triumphant and threw together a marinated vegetable salad (easy and quick) for a take-along. 

I rested a bit and then got ready for the party.  I was a trifle peckish, and found some left-over chemo cookies in the freezer, so I had some of them. I was chatting with Reggie while I was taking a break.  I had been invited to the party after meeting Smitty and Reggie at a bear dinner.  At the time they were dating, but they aren't any more.  Reggie and I have sniffed around each other before, and he was sniffing again today.  I am conflicted about it.  He's cute as he can be, and seems nice; but there's the old drama with Michael over him, plus he's really young.  Plus he seems to have a lot of drama in his wake.  He and Smitty apparently parted on good enough terms that he was still invited to the party tonight, but he had decided not to come. 

I changed and got ready to go, but I had kind of lost my enthusiasm for the party.  Smitty is really young, and I figured most of the people at the party would be.  I wondered if I would have anything in common with them.  Plus I don't think I had eaten enough today, and I just didn't feel sterling.  Larry was supposed to go with me as my date tonight, but he had cancelled (after I got permission to bring a plus one, I might add), but since he hadn't really wanted to go in the first place I figured that was just as well. But with RBL so distracted and incredibly busy these days, I have decided it would be good for me to get out and meet some new people.  Plus I had already bought a present.  I resolutely headed that way.

It was easier to find the place than I thought, and I was one of the first guests to arrive (I didn't know if this was a 'fashionably late' kinda thing, but I figured even if it was I'd be a drink up on them when the fashionable people started to arrive).  I got a drink and settled in, and it wasn't long before folks started arriving. 

There were a number of younger people there, but there were older people too, and there were people that I knew.  Jim was there.  He has changed a lot, and I really enjoyed talking with him tonight.  The crowd warmed up and the conversation started flowing freely.  Although they did segue into zombies for a while (not my forte) I found my groove and started telling jokes (hey, I had a whole group of people who hadn't heard my material), and soon was having a great time.  One of Smitty's friends (delightful woman) had made chocolate truffles in lieu of a birthday cake, and they were divoon.  Soon I had an audience. I love open-minded straight people, but it is like shooting fish in a barrel, wit-wise; it kind of feels like cheating, but I loooove the attention.  The only real fly in the ointment was a guy that came in with Jim.  He was kind of a dick.  Cute enough, but not nearly as cute as he thought he was - you know they type.  And a narcissist.  After dating Gavin, I have no patience for that.  But I just kind of let him do his thing and mostly avoided his transparent attention-begging (I know, living in a glass house here). 

The surprising hit of the evening was Smitty's brother Caleb, and his friend Lukas.  They were both straight, but really nice, and cute as puppies both of  'em.  After a good portion of the group peeled off to go to The Castle, I ended up hanging out with them.  To make a long story short, yer daddy was trashed.  The three of us ended up lying out in the yard on an obliging bank for a while, in the grass, just kind of contemplating the underside of a tree as Caleb quietly threw up some.  I haven't drank that much in a long time.

Eventually, I made my way home, and gratefully to bed.  But it was a swell party.