Weekend(s)
I was going to post about this weekend's trip to Utica and realized I never mentioned last weekend's stop in NYC (I'm visiting friends while they're less than seven hours away for once).
So, for those who care, Last Saturday I went to see Anna in NYC where she was staying with her sister. Didn't do much, mainly just walked around Central Park until it got cold and then went for dinner, but it was very good to see her again. Probably the funniest moment was walking into her sister's apartment in Harlem, where I stick out a bit more than they do:
Security guard: (to me) You'll need to sign in.
Anna: (afterwards, as we walk away): They never made me sign in.
Sister: Probably because you're related to me.
Anna: Either that or because he's too light. Darn it, Ken, I told you to get a tan.
Also entertaining, I delivered her Christmas present: a stuffed poodle with a Harley-Davidson jacket. (for anyone who doesn't know, the Harley jacket, in combo with a green mohawk, is my counter-threat to Anna's promise that she will some day buy me a poodle and a gift certificate to Sassy Pooch dog salon).
This weekend, I went to Utica to see Marie and Paul, plus Annie, Rikki, and Chris who were visiting from Fredonia. I was going to stay Saturday to Sunday, but my van didn't start Sunday afternoon so I wound up staying an extra night while it was fixed (fortunately, inexpensive; unfortunately, not necessarily permanent). Actually, I think it was worth it to have an extra night with everyone. I've missed the Fredonia group a great deal this year.
Oh, the car not starting was the second time we had to call AAA. The first was to get my keys out when I locked them in the van Saturday night. While we were waiting for that, the sander came through, and it was decided that this was perhaps God's way of telling us the roads hadn't been safe when we first went to leave (though I still submit that it is God's way of telling me to stop being an idiot and check for the keys before I lock the door). I'm not sure whether the second problem was God saying, "Stay an extra day with these awesome people" or "Replace that POS van already," so just to be safe I'm doing both. More word on the replacement car when I find one.
Anyway, a few high points of the weekend:
Playing Mafia:
-- I as narrator got to describe Chris being murdered twice: once by being beat to death with her clarinet and once by having her scratch-n-sniff stickers thrown into a swimming pool.
-- Paul called Dan up for advice on whom we should burn at the stake (which we decided to use instead of lynching), and he agreed that we should burn Chris first even though none of us really thought she was the Mafia that round.
-- We decided at the end to take pictures of Annie pretending to kill me and then of Chris and Annie against a blank wall, to be later edited to look like the burning-at-the-stake.
-- The creation of Estrogen City, in which Paul and I were not welcome, and the competing Testosterone Town. Subsequently, Chris' invitation to join Testosterone Town on the basis of her belching and um, behavior towards the other girls (which Paul said we would have to video tape just to be sure).
At an Italian restaurant:
-- The discovery that there was no chicken parm on the menu, thus ruining a running gag between me and Annie.
-- Me: Are we all getting separate checks? [all nod] Just put the appetizers on mine then, and we'll share.
Annie: What's that, you'll pick up the whole bill?
Random conversations:
Me to Marie on Battlestar Gallactica: "So the robots are monotheist, but the humans are polytheistic? I wish they'd done it the other way, because Polytheistic Robots would be the best name for a rock band ever."
Marie, happening to look up during one of Inara's scenes on Firefly: "So this is why you boys both like the show?"
Paul (on the phone with Dan, who didn't recognize the voice): "This is your conscience."
[all names deleted to protect the innocent, or not so innocent]
"Does he know you like him?"
[outside commenter] "Unless he's really, really dense, yes."
"But sometimes he is."
So, for those who care, Last Saturday I went to see Anna in NYC where she was staying with her sister. Didn't do much, mainly just walked around Central Park until it got cold and then went for dinner, but it was very good to see her again. Probably the funniest moment was walking into her sister's apartment in Harlem, where I stick out a bit more than they do:
Security guard: (to me) You'll need to sign in.
Anna: (afterwards, as we walk away): They never made me sign in.
Sister: Probably because you're related to me.
Anna: Either that or because he's too light. Darn it, Ken, I told you to get a tan.
Also entertaining, I delivered her Christmas present: a stuffed poodle with a Harley-Davidson jacket. (for anyone who doesn't know, the Harley jacket, in combo with a green mohawk, is my counter-threat to Anna's promise that she will some day buy me a poodle and a gift certificate to Sassy Pooch dog salon).
This weekend, I went to Utica to see Marie and Paul, plus Annie, Rikki, and Chris who were visiting from Fredonia. I was going to stay Saturday to Sunday, but my van didn't start Sunday afternoon so I wound up staying an extra night while it was fixed (fortunately, inexpensive; unfortunately, not necessarily permanent). Actually, I think it was worth it to have an extra night with everyone. I've missed the Fredonia group a great deal this year.
Oh, the car not starting was the second time we had to call AAA. The first was to get my keys out when I locked them in the van Saturday night. While we were waiting for that, the sander came through, and it was decided that this was perhaps God's way of telling us the roads hadn't been safe when we first went to leave (though I still submit that it is God's way of telling me to stop being an idiot and check for the keys before I lock the door). I'm not sure whether the second problem was God saying, "Stay an extra day with these awesome people" or "Replace that POS van already," so just to be safe I'm doing both. More word on the replacement car when I find one.
Anyway, a few high points of the weekend:
Playing Mafia:
-- I as narrator got to describe Chris being murdered twice: once by being beat to death with her clarinet and once by having her scratch-n-sniff stickers thrown into a swimming pool.
-- Paul called Dan up for advice on whom we should burn at the stake (which we decided to use instead of lynching), and he agreed that we should burn Chris first even though none of us really thought she was the Mafia that round.
-- We decided at the end to take pictures of Annie pretending to kill me and then of Chris and Annie against a blank wall, to be later edited to look like the burning-at-the-stake.
-- The creation of Estrogen City, in which Paul and I were not welcome, and the competing Testosterone Town. Subsequently, Chris' invitation to join Testosterone Town on the basis of her belching and um, behavior towards the other girls (which Paul said we would have to video tape just to be sure).
At an Italian restaurant:
-- The discovery that there was no chicken parm on the menu, thus ruining a running gag between me and Annie.
-- Me: Are we all getting separate checks? [all nod] Just put the appetizers on mine then, and we'll share.
Annie: What's that, you'll pick up the whole bill?
Random conversations:
Me to Marie on Battlestar Gallactica: "So the robots are monotheist, but the humans are polytheistic? I wish they'd done it the other way, because Polytheistic Robots would be the best name for a rock band ever."
Marie, happening to look up during one of Inara's scenes on Firefly: "So this is why you boys both like the show?"
Paul (on the phone with Dan, who didn't recognize the voice): "This is your conscience."
[all names deleted to protect the innocent, or not so innocent]
"Does he know you like him?"
[outside commenter] "Unless he's really, really dense, yes."
"But sometimes he is."