Weekend Update
When last we left our intrepid adventurer (yay!) he had verified that his new receiver worked properly....
So, saturday I spent most of the day visiting with Zoe, Shae, and Eileen. Zoe loved her gifts, and the hat & gloves not only fit perfectly, they were her favorite colors (pink & purple -- surprise!). Everything but the tent got a workout before I left. They gave me a lovely little photo of me, Granny, and Zoe, plus an amaryllis bulb which I will try my darnedest not to murder. So far my bamboo plants are holding together pretty well, so it's got a sporting chance. If it doesn't do well at home, I may bring it into the office as there's more light here.
Then it was off to Janet & George's for the New Year's party, and I have to say, the house looked great. New furniture in the living room, and a completely redesigned dining room that really worked. (They were still vacuuming when I came in, but by the time I left the next morning, there was dog hair everywhere. The dogs are sweet, but HUGE and while they're good dogs, they're just too much to handle in my opinion. Got some kitty love, too, which was nice.) Janet had tripped over a dog and banged up her arm, so instead of cooking way too much food, she ordered up way too much food from Wegmans. The lunchmeat trays were great and as usual there was food for about 40-50 people (and of the 18 on the invite list, 14 showed) and all the while before everyone else showed up, Janet was wondering if she needed to order pizza. :)
The party itself was low-key, with plenty of good munchables and fun folks to talk to, many of whom I don't get to see very often. It was a pleasant evening, and then off to bed around 2 am.
Sunday morning, we whipped up french-bread french toast (with real vanilla and cream), bacon, and fluffy scrambled eggs -- "we" being John and I because Janet was not supposed to be cooking -- and had a lovely brekky whilst watching old Frugal Gourmet tapes that John had found somewhere. Talk about nostalgia!
Then it was off to TowsonTowne Center for a bit (still looking for a decent robe), but the place was empty of anything useful. So I left a bit disappointed in what used to be my favorite mall, and went to Granny's.
She'd done a nice beef roast up (which I rescued from overcooking thanks to a meat thermometer) and I managed to slice it nice and thin. It turned out terrific, and she also had fried chicken and munchies as well. And we spent a pleasant afternoon with family, including my cousin Brian who I don't see very often even though he lives about five miles away from me.
Then home, and whilst I tidied up, I began playing Sly Cooper 2: Band of Thieves, which is quite a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the first one and the second is, thus far, proving to be as much fun. You still *mostly* play as Sly, but Bentley the turtle brings bombs and brains, and Murray the hippo brings the muscle, which adds some variety. Instead of lives, you get a health meter and can find health along with coins with some judicious looting.
Monday I had planned to run errands, but ended up sleeping late, tidying the house a bit, and playing video games all day. In the evening I watched SERENITY twice (once with commentary), as well as all the extras. Damned good flick. And then it was bedtime. So all in all, a fun and relaxing weekend with many of my favorite people. ;)
Totally failed to go see King Kong this weekend. Grrr.
So, saturday I spent most of the day visiting with Zoe, Shae, and Eileen. Zoe loved her gifts, and the hat & gloves not only fit perfectly, they were her favorite colors (pink & purple -- surprise!). Everything but the tent got a workout before I left. They gave me a lovely little photo of me, Granny, and Zoe, plus an amaryllis bulb which I will try my darnedest not to murder. So far my bamboo plants are holding together pretty well, so it's got a sporting chance. If it doesn't do well at home, I may bring it into the office as there's more light here.
Then it was off to Janet & George's for the New Year's party, and I have to say, the house looked great. New furniture in the living room, and a completely redesigned dining room that really worked. (They were still vacuuming when I came in, but by the time I left the next morning, there was dog hair everywhere. The dogs are sweet, but HUGE and while they're good dogs, they're just too much to handle in my opinion. Got some kitty love, too, which was nice.) Janet had tripped over a dog and banged up her arm, so instead of cooking way too much food, she ordered up way too much food from Wegmans. The lunchmeat trays were great and as usual there was food for about 40-50 people (and of the 18 on the invite list, 14 showed) and all the while before everyone else showed up, Janet was wondering if she needed to order pizza. :)
The party itself was low-key, with plenty of good munchables and fun folks to talk to, many of whom I don't get to see very often. It was a pleasant evening, and then off to bed around 2 am.
Sunday morning, we whipped up french-bread french toast (with real vanilla and cream), bacon, and fluffy scrambled eggs -- "we" being John and I because Janet was not supposed to be cooking -- and had a lovely brekky whilst watching old Frugal Gourmet tapes that John had found somewhere. Talk about nostalgia!
Then it was off to TowsonTowne Center for a bit (still looking for a decent robe), but the place was empty of anything useful. So I left a bit disappointed in what used to be my favorite mall, and went to Granny's.
She'd done a nice beef roast up (which I rescued from overcooking thanks to a meat thermometer) and I managed to slice it nice and thin. It turned out terrific, and she also had fried chicken and munchies as well. And we spent a pleasant afternoon with family, including my cousin Brian who I don't see very often even though he lives about five miles away from me.
Then home, and whilst I tidied up, I began playing Sly Cooper 2: Band of Thieves, which is quite a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the first one and the second is, thus far, proving to be as much fun. You still *mostly* play as Sly, but Bentley the turtle brings bombs and brains, and Murray the hippo brings the muscle, which adds some variety. Instead of lives, you get a health meter and can find health along with coins with some judicious looting.
Monday I had planned to run errands, but ended up sleeping late, tidying the house a bit, and playing video games all day. In the evening I watched SERENITY twice (once with commentary), as well as all the extras. Damned good flick. And then it was bedtime. So all in all, a fun and relaxing weekend with many of my favorite people. ;)
Totally failed to go see King Kong this weekend. Grrr.