And another one gone...
Another weekend bites the dust!
Friday night (which, sure, I already blogged about, but what the heck) I changed into jeans before I left work (walking around this place in jeans was odd!), and headed to the Panera in Laurel to meet most of my family for dinner. My older nephew was with the hockey team on their way to the big Ice Skating Center on Old Gunpowder Road for the game, but Mom and Dad and Jeff and Shalene and Jeffrey were already there by the time I got there. I got the portabello mozzarella panini, which was delicious. We chatted, then everyone trooped out to check out my new car. Shalene took Jeffrey off to get something at Popeye's (he apparently likes one particular soup at Panera, and they didn't feature it on Friday. Ooops.), and I was in charge of leading the caravan of other cars to the rink because they weren't as familiar with how to get there. Of course the 203948328 lights on Rt. 198 made for caravaning issues, but we all got there safe and sound. We missed the first few minutes of the game, but cheered mightily for the rest. They lost pretty soundly, but again, it's the first year of the program. They'll get better. The school is great in that it really does focus on other aspects of sport than winning. What they desperately need is more players. Those kids were all just freakin' exhausted by the end. Then I left, leaving my brother and family to await Jack's emergence from the locker room, and to take him to a friend's 16th birthday party. It's official: We've reached that stage of life where my nephews have better social lives than I do.
Because after that I pretty much went home and chilled. I did talk to bonnykate on the phone for a while, which is always awesome. They are all doing well and suffered no ill consequences out of all the storms that pounded Tennessee last week. After that, I went to bed, maybe around 11:30?
On Saturday I actually woke up around 9 a.m. of my own devices. I was filled with a certain restlessness (though apparently not sleeplessness, 'cause I mean, I still got at least 9 hours!). I thought of just going back to bed but I got up and caught up a little on some stuff on the DVR. Eventually I showered and decided it might be best if I left my home for a bit, after a few unfortunate circumstances with a friend left me with an unformed day. I took myself and my new car up to Hampden, where I accomplished both things I set out to do: (1) a housewarming gift for a friend, and (2) lunch. Usually I don't eat three meals on Saturdays and Sundays because my breakfast is so late it's really kind of lunch. Or at least brunch. But I ate breakfast early enough that I enjoyed another great meal at Grill Art, which I can recommend to anyone in the area as a tasty and never-seems-to-be-crowded dining choice on the Avenue. On my way out of the restaurant, I realized I'd missed a call from snidegrrl, and that she and zarobi were just finishing up lunch themselves and were headed for the Baltimore Tattoo Convention downtown. "What the heck?" I thought, and put my parcels in my car. (Which I successfully parallel parked for the first time, I might add.) But then I saw how close I'd parked to the New System bakery, the place I got the fantastic cake on my last visit, so I went and got a coffee and a pastry (and a loaf of wheat bread to take home, since the minimum charge amount was $5 and coffee-and-a-pastry was $2). Then I was off to downtown. I found some parking and found an ATM in the very crowded Sheraton, so I could pay to get out of the garage. (Sometimes I forget to have cash with me on days like this, and get stuck paying ATM fees. Grr.) And I paid to get into the convention, met up with folks, and looked around.
It was very interesting. I wasn't sure what to expect. It was perfect for what zarobi wanted to do, which was talk to a number of artists about a new design/coverup for her old unsatisfactory design. There were shops from mainly the mid-Atlantic region, but really ranging up and down the East Coast. It was noisy and crowded but everyone was pleasant and polite, quite a feat in that pressing crowd. SG and I looked around longer than zarobi and family, because they'd been there a while and the little ones were getting exhausted. There were some great artists at work, but fortunately it was so crowded and nuts that I wasn't overly tempted to have some kind of impromptu work done. Besides, I don't think I'd really want to get tattooed out on the convention floor like that, though goodness knows a lot of people were.
Eventually we saw nearly everything (except, like, the bands and stuff), and we headed out of the city back down to Z and seraphsmorgan's place. We hung out for a little bit, then took off for our respective homes. salami_salome called, and I told her I'd call her back, which I did after brief grocery-related errands.
She's still recovering from the bronchial infection, so we just chatted a bit and then went our separate ways. I fixed myself a very small dinner (still full from lunch!), and watched more stuff on the DVR, including Thursday's Supernatural. Then, about 10 p.m., I figured maybe what I'd do would be, go the heck to bed. And, gentle readers, I slept for 11 hours. I did wake up sometime between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. with vaguely awful cramps (which is actually kind of rare for me), so I got up, fed the cats, took some Tylenol P.M. and went the heck back to bed. So, yes, the 11 hours were chemically enhanced, but still, it felt like I needed them.
Sunday, up, breakfast, shower, running late for church so I hit Food Lion for a few things first then went over to the noon Mass at the other interfaith center. I was a little distracted, but I hadn't been in weeks, and it's Lent and all. And the sermon was pretty good, about "coveting." Afterward, home, put away groceries, practice guitar. Then, off to the folks' for laundry/dinner. We had a very satisfying conversation. My Dad had to leave at 6:30 to go do Vespers, so my Mom and I had an hour of chatting to ourselves, which was pretty cool. In telling her about the weekend I attempted to explain to her why I get tattoos, which I don't think she understands in any real way, but at least - and I would love them very much for this alone, even if they weren't also awesome parents in other ways - they have always let me discover, and be, fully my own person. Sure, when I first showed up with a tattoo, Dad threatened to write me out of the will, but considering the number of times he's done that (if I ever so much as mentioned law school, if I came home with another hole punched in any part of my body, if I talked about owning a dog, etc.), I know an empty threat when I see one. The fact of the matter is, they did just what (I think) parents strive to do: They gave me the tools, and let me go. If they don't like everything I do, at least they respect that I probably have a good reason for doing it.
After all that, I packed up and visited with msteleute and bribro for a while. (necrocannibal was off visiting family.) We watched part of the BAFTA awards and hung out, it was fun. Even if it was getting Really Seriously Cold out there. At least we had a fairly gentle decline - it wasn't 70 one day and 17 the next, it was 70 one day and 17 a few days later. And the wind! Gad! All in all, I got home a bit after 10 p.m. and was glad to be inside with some nice warm cats.
And now, here I am. Another week. Whee. Looks like I might have to go with our new guy down on today's FDA pickup because he only went there himself for the first time on Friday. At least it's sunny, so if it's flippin' freezing there's no other unpleasant weather to deal with. (Weather widget says it's currently a balmy 16 degrees.)
Friday night (which, sure, I already blogged about, but what the heck) I changed into jeans before I left work (walking around this place in jeans was odd!), and headed to the Panera in Laurel to meet most of my family for dinner. My older nephew was with the hockey team on their way to the big Ice Skating Center on Old Gunpowder Road for the game, but Mom and Dad and Jeff and Shalene and Jeffrey were already there by the time I got there. I got the portabello mozzarella panini, which was delicious. We chatted, then everyone trooped out to check out my new car. Shalene took Jeffrey off to get something at Popeye's (he apparently likes one particular soup at Panera, and they didn't feature it on Friday. Ooops.), and I was in charge of leading the caravan of other cars to the rink because they weren't as familiar with how to get there. Of course the 203948328 lights on Rt. 198 made for caravaning issues, but we all got there safe and sound. We missed the first few minutes of the game, but cheered mightily for the rest. They lost pretty soundly, but again, it's the first year of the program. They'll get better. The school is great in that it really does focus on other aspects of sport than winning. What they desperately need is more players. Those kids were all just freakin' exhausted by the end. Then I left, leaving my brother and family to await Jack's emergence from the locker room, and to take him to a friend's 16th birthday party. It's official: We've reached that stage of life where my nephews have better social lives than I do.
Because after that I pretty much went home and chilled. I did talk to bonnykate on the phone for a while, which is always awesome. They are all doing well and suffered no ill consequences out of all the storms that pounded Tennessee last week. After that, I went to bed, maybe around 11:30?
On Saturday I actually woke up around 9 a.m. of my own devices. I was filled with a certain restlessness (though apparently not sleeplessness, 'cause I mean, I still got at least 9 hours!). I thought of just going back to bed but I got up and caught up a little on some stuff on the DVR. Eventually I showered and decided it might be best if I left my home for a bit, after a few unfortunate circumstances with a friend left me with an unformed day. I took myself and my new car up to Hampden, where I accomplished both things I set out to do: (1) a housewarming gift for a friend, and (2) lunch. Usually I don't eat three meals on Saturdays and Sundays because my breakfast is so late it's really kind of lunch. Or at least brunch. But I ate breakfast early enough that I enjoyed another great meal at Grill Art, which I can recommend to anyone in the area as a tasty and never-seems-to-be-crowded dining choice on the Avenue. On my way out of the restaurant, I realized I'd missed a call from snidegrrl, and that she and zarobi were just finishing up lunch themselves and were headed for the Baltimore Tattoo Convention downtown. "What the heck?" I thought, and put my parcels in my car. (Which I successfully parallel parked for the first time, I might add.) But then I saw how close I'd parked to the New System bakery, the place I got the fantastic cake on my last visit, so I went and got a coffee and a pastry (and a loaf of wheat bread to take home, since the minimum charge amount was $5 and coffee-and-a-pastry was $2). Then I was off to downtown. I found some parking and found an ATM in the very crowded Sheraton, so I could pay to get out of the garage. (Sometimes I forget to have cash with me on days like this, and get stuck paying ATM fees. Grr.) And I paid to get into the convention, met up with folks, and looked around.
It was very interesting. I wasn't sure what to expect. It was perfect for what zarobi wanted to do, which was talk to a number of artists about a new design/coverup for her old unsatisfactory design. There were shops from mainly the mid-Atlantic region, but really ranging up and down the East Coast. It was noisy and crowded but everyone was pleasant and polite, quite a feat in that pressing crowd. SG and I looked around longer than zarobi and family, because they'd been there a while and the little ones were getting exhausted. There were some great artists at work, but fortunately it was so crowded and nuts that I wasn't overly tempted to have some kind of impromptu work done. Besides, I don't think I'd really want to get tattooed out on the convention floor like that, though goodness knows a lot of people were.
Eventually we saw nearly everything (except, like, the bands and stuff), and we headed out of the city back down to Z and seraphsmorgan's place. We hung out for a little bit, then took off for our respective homes. salami_salome called, and I told her I'd call her back, which I did after brief grocery-related errands.
She's still recovering from the bronchial infection, so we just chatted a bit and then went our separate ways. I fixed myself a very small dinner (still full from lunch!), and watched more stuff on the DVR, including Thursday's Supernatural. Then, about 10 p.m., I figured maybe what I'd do would be, go the heck to bed. And, gentle readers, I slept for 11 hours. I did wake up sometime between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. with vaguely awful cramps (which is actually kind of rare for me), so I got up, fed the cats, took some Tylenol P.M. and went the heck back to bed. So, yes, the 11 hours were chemically enhanced, but still, it felt like I needed them.
Sunday, up, breakfast, shower, running late for church so I hit Food Lion for a few things first then went over to the noon Mass at the other interfaith center. I was a little distracted, but I hadn't been in weeks, and it's Lent and all. And the sermon was pretty good, about "coveting." Afterward, home, put away groceries, practice guitar. Then, off to the folks' for laundry/dinner. We had a very satisfying conversation. My Dad had to leave at 6:30 to go do Vespers, so my Mom and I had an hour of chatting to ourselves, which was pretty cool. In telling her about the weekend I attempted to explain to her why I get tattoos, which I don't think she understands in any real way, but at least - and I would love them very much for this alone, even if they weren't also awesome parents in other ways - they have always let me discover, and be, fully my own person. Sure, when I first showed up with a tattoo, Dad threatened to write me out of the will, but considering the number of times he's done that (if I ever so much as mentioned law school, if I came home with another hole punched in any part of my body, if I talked about owning a dog, etc.), I know an empty threat when I see one. The fact of the matter is, they did just what (I think) parents strive to do: They gave me the tools, and let me go. If they don't like everything I do, at least they respect that I probably have a good reason for doing it.
After all that, I packed up and visited with msteleute and bribro for a while. (necrocannibal was off visiting family.) We watched part of the BAFTA awards and hung out, it was fun. Even if it was getting Really Seriously Cold out there. At least we had a fairly gentle decline - it wasn't 70 one day and 17 the next, it was 70 one day and 17 a few days later. And the wind! Gad! All in all, I got home a bit after 10 p.m. and was glad to be inside with some nice warm cats.
And now, here I am. Another week. Whee. Looks like I might have to go with our new guy down on today's FDA pickup because he only went there himself for the first time on Friday. At least it's sunny, so if it's flippin' freezing there's no other unpleasant weather to deal with. (Weather widget says it's currently a balmy 16 degrees.)