Unexpected happy fun company time, yay!
So porpentine and I were coming out of the Toys R Us Saturday morning when my phone rang. It was it_aint_easy, wanting to know whether I was free to come over and start rehearsing for OVFF. Chris and I conferred for a moment, then agreed that sure, we could come over; we'd be there around six, and we'd bring dinner, thus pacifying artbeco and preventing her from killing and eating us all. (Not that she's ever shown any inclination to do that sort of thing, but 'better safe than sorry' has always been a primary motto of mine.) The boys go to bed at eight, and we could then bend ourselves to the serious business of screwing around with what will, eventually, be a concert set.
Chris and I went and hit the Safeway, finally settling on roast turkey breast with young white potatoes and steamed baby artichokes. Because it was easy. We triaged the meal at my place, set the turkey up to marinate (all hail the Great God Garlic, all hail), then split for 'Miss Congeniality 2' before returning to the house, grabbing the food -- and my songbook -- and getting on the road. Traffic was unexpectedly ucky for a Friday afternoon, but we still made it there before seven, giving us plenty of time to observe Riley and Casey in full-on rampage mode. The amount of energy possessed by four year old boys never fails to astonish me. They never stop moving. It's all zip bang pow boom, all the time.
We could defeat the Martians by arming a preschool and telling them the tripods were full of candy.
Beckett was pleased to see that we'd brought dinner -- Paul didn't actually warn her, it seems -- and got to actually sit down and eat, which was a rare treat for all of us, since it gave us a chance to start the wonder and joy that is 'catching up'. Everything came out deliciously, and I continue to be awed by Chris's ability to render reasonably plain turkey into something delicious and remarkable. Nummers.
After food, Beck went to put the boys to bed while Paul and I began hammering on music. I love working with Paul. He combines serious and incredibly silly, and given how short the notice had been, we got a lot done. I'm going to start feeding him MP3s and sheet music from mrlogic, and ground will be swiftly gained. As it stands, we had some good run-throughs, there was much hugging, and we got to see 'Jack-Jack Attack', as well as having some lengthy argument/discussions about the Marvel continuity.
Life is good. I love my friends.
Chris and I went and hit the Safeway, finally settling on roast turkey breast with young white potatoes and steamed baby artichokes. Because it was easy. We triaged the meal at my place, set the turkey up to marinate (all hail the Great God Garlic, all hail), then split for 'Miss Congeniality 2' before returning to the house, grabbing the food -- and my songbook -- and getting on the road. Traffic was unexpectedly ucky for a Friday afternoon, but we still made it there before seven, giving us plenty of time to observe Riley and Casey in full-on rampage mode. The amount of energy possessed by four year old boys never fails to astonish me. They never stop moving. It's all zip bang pow boom, all the time.
We could defeat the Martians by arming a preschool and telling them the tripods were full of candy.
Beckett was pleased to see that we'd brought dinner -- Paul didn't actually warn her, it seems -- and got to actually sit down and eat, which was a rare treat for all of us, since it gave us a chance to start the wonder and joy that is 'catching up'. Everything came out deliciously, and I continue to be awed by Chris's ability to render reasonably plain turkey into something delicious and remarkable. Nummers.
After food, Beck went to put the boys to bed while Paul and I began hammering on music. I love working with Paul. He combines serious and incredibly silly, and given how short the notice had been, we got a lot done. I'm going to start feeding him MP3s and sheet music from mrlogic, and ground will be swiftly gained. As it stands, we had some good run-throughs, there was much hugging, and we got to see 'Jack-Jack Attack', as well as having some lengthy argument/discussions about the Marvel continuity.
Life is good. I love my friends.