Last night we went to Doug & Jim's house for a happy hour. On a Wed night. Isn't that great?
Here are some of the others who attended.
Showing posts with label Doug and Jim. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Doug and Jim. Show all posts
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Monday, July 23, 2012
Birthday highlights
Spouse's birthday happy hour at Saketumi went great. Lots of friend showed up including Steve & Thad, the Bobs, Doug & Jim, and Christy & Todd. We had cocktails and some sushi rolls and visited with everyone for about 2 hours. Then Spouse & I headed over to Ivy for dinner.
Ivy is a new restaurant that backs to the bay, offering fabulous views while dining. After dinner hours the restaurant transforms into a nightclub with live DJs and fantastic lighting. The decor is mostly white and quite chic. Slowly changing colors of light spray across the white wall decorations. Spouse & I sat at a table very close to the wall of glass overlooking the bay.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Weekend highlights
I worked on Sat. Afterward Spouse & I had hot dogs at Steven & Thad's for dinner. I left early for Legends show. Spouse, Steven & Thad, Joe P, and our friends Koset & Jim and Doug & Jim all came to the show. Koset took this video of my performance. Not long after the show, everyone left but Koset. He and I decided to hang out together and we really had a good time! Koset took this photo of me and Karla who performed as Donna Summer.
I took this picture of Karla and Koset.
Sun I worked. Spouse went to the beach with Steven & Thad and Joe P. Anticipating the season finale of True Blood that night on HBO (which we don't have but Steven & Thad do), Spouse offered to cook dinner and make dessert for them if they let us watch the show at their house. They don't follow the show like we do, so bribery was in order. Chris & Jason came over for dessert and the show. Spouse made a trifle for dessert and had me write True Blood on the top with gel icing.
Since I worked yesterday I was off today. I slept until 9am, watched a little TV while I drank my coffee, played several turns of Words With Friends (WWF), did several loads of laundry, had lunch, and then went to the beach. It was a beautiful day: sunny, low 80s, and low humidity. After returning home and having dinner with Spouse we settled onto the sofa and I played several more turns of WWF while Spouse watched TV. The original film 'Hairspray' by John Waters was on so that was going in the background as I played my turns. I love that film!
I took this picture of Karla and Koset.
Sun I worked. Spouse went to the beach with Steven & Thad and Joe P. Anticipating the season finale of True Blood that night on HBO (which we don't have but Steven & Thad do), Spouse offered to cook dinner and make dessert for them if they let us watch the show at their house. They don't follow the show like we do, so bribery was in order. Chris & Jason came over for dessert and the show. Spouse made a trifle for dessert and had me write True Blood on the top with gel icing.
Since I worked yesterday I was off today. I slept until 9am, watched a little TV while I drank my coffee, played several turns of Words With Friends (WWF), did several loads of laundry, had lunch, and then went to the beach. It was a beautiful day: sunny, low 80s, and low humidity. After returning home and having dinner with Spouse we settled onto the sofa and I played several more turns of WWF while Spouse watched TV. The original film 'Hairspray' by John Waters was on so that was going in the background as I played my turns. I love that film!
Monday, June 13, 2011
Weekend highlights
I worked on Sat but took an hour to go to the Annual Summer Bash to benefit the Foodbank of DE. This year's entertainer was country music star Aaron Tippin. Spouse & I try to go every year.
Sat evening we went to Kevin & Jason's for a little barbeque. Our friend Thatcher came too. We ate out on their screened porch and talked until it was time to go into town for the Legends show. We had a really nice time!
Once at the Blue Moon with Kevin & Jason and Thatcher, we also met up with Steven, Joe P, and 1 of the Bobs. Then a little later our friends Doug & Jim came in. I guess the word about how good the Legends show is must be spreading. I was not in it this week but the celebrities being impersonated were Etta James, Alan Jackson, and Michael Jackson. It was very entertaining, and I cheered and clapped enthusiastically for my cast mates.
I worked on Sun and it was really quiet. No calls and no internet leads to work on. The day really dragged on. Then Spouse & I went to Steven & Thad's (Joe P came too) and we ate pizza and watched the Tony's. Thad had been in York PA earlier that day and brought home a dozen Maple doughnuts for dessert. Not maple flavored doughnuts; the company is called Maple. They were absolutely amazing!
The weekends pass quickly when you work both Sat & Sun. But I'm off today so I'm going to get some things done. First I have to show a house at 9:30 but its just a few blocks from home so it won't be a big deal. Then I need to pay some bills, do laundry, go to the bank, and do some housecleaning. Since the weather finally cooled off today maybe Spouse & I will go for a walk on the boardwalk tonight after dinner. We'll see how my day unfolds!
Sat evening we went to Kevin & Jason's for a little barbeque. Our friend Thatcher came too. We ate out on their screened porch and talked until it was time to go into town for the Legends show. We had a really nice time!
Once at the Blue Moon with Kevin & Jason and Thatcher, we also met up with Steven, Joe P, and 1 of the Bobs. Then a little later our friends Doug & Jim came in. I guess the word about how good the Legends show is must be spreading. I was not in it this week but the celebrities being impersonated were Etta James, Alan Jackson, and Michael Jackson. It was very entertaining, and I cheered and clapped enthusiastically for my cast mates.
I worked on Sun and it was really quiet. No calls and no internet leads to work on. The day really dragged on. Then Spouse & I went to Steven & Thad's (Joe P came too) and we ate pizza and watched the Tony's. Thad had been in York PA earlier that day and brought home a dozen Maple doughnuts for dessert. Not maple flavored doughnuts; the company is called Maple. They were absolutely amazing!
The weekends pass quickly when you work both Sat & Sun. But I'm off today so I'm going to get some things done. First I have to show a house at 9:30 but its just a few blocks from home so it won't be a big deal. Then I need to pay some bills, do laundry, go to the bank, and do some housecleaning. Since the weather finally cooled off today maybe Spouse & I will go for a walk on the boardwalk tonight after dinner. We'll see how my day unfolds!
Monday, September 20, 2010
Weekend highlights
Sat morning started out as most of our's do, and if you don't know what that means then just click on any recent post entitled "Weekend highlights". Then Spouse & I went to a community yard sale where I bought 8 purple dinner plates for $3. I think they will match (or at least coordinate with) Steven & Thad's dishes. After a light lunch on the screened porch we headed over to the DE Pride Festival. The weather was perfect: 78 
degrees, clear blue skies, and undetectable humidity. We had a good time but finished seeing all the booths and talking with the many friends we saw there within 2 hours, so we left before Kimberley Locke performed. I would have stayed but Spouse was 'ret to go'. Later that evening we met up with Doug & Jim and their neighbors Charlie & John for dinner to celebrate Doug's birthday. We ate at the Rusty Rudder all-you-can-eat buffet since Doug loves their crab legs. It had a very nice time! Afterward I met up with my buddies at Mandance.
degrees, clear blue skies, and undetectable humidity. We had a good time but finished seeing all the booths and talking with the many friends we saw there within 2 hours, so we left before Kimberley Locke performed. I would have stayed but Spouse was 'ret to go'. Later that evening we met up with Doug & Jim and their neighbors Charlie & John for dinner to celebrate Doug's birthday. We ate at the Rusty Rudder all-you-can-eat buffet since Doug loves their crab legs. It had a very nice time! Afterward I met up with my buddies at Mandance.We slept in Sun morning, then had coffee and chatted on the screened porch. Jason & Kevin texted to see if we would join them for a late breakfast. Spouse declined due to the previous night's buffet but I met up with the guys at 11:00. Afterward Spouse & I met up with Jason & Kevin, Steven & Thad, The Bobs, Chris, Edwin and Matthew at the beach. It was another postcard perfect day: 82 degrees, clear skies and a lovely breeze off the water. The waves were rather wild, due to Hurricane Igor's affect on the ocean. It was beautiful to watch them churn and crash onto shore. Spouse & I visited with our friends and went for a nice walk on the beach. It was such a beautiful day we didn't want to go home, but eventually we did. I enjoyed a cocktail on the screened porch while Spouse showered, and then we had dinner on the screened porch too. Truly delightful!
Although it is inevitably coming to an end soon, we have really had a terrific summer for spending time on the beach, and I have tried to take maximum advantage of it. I'm definitely NOT ready for long pants, socks and shoes, or shorter days. Not yet.
Crush du Jour: Jonathan Bardzik
Monday, September 06, 2010
Holiday weekend highlights
We enjoyed a typical Sat morning (Spouse went to his personal trainer appointment; I drank coffee and watched 3 back-to-back episodes of "Sell This House"). Then I called my Aunt Mary because she'd left me a voice message letting me know my Uncle John (her brother) passed away. He lived in Los Angeles so we didn't see each other a lot but I really liked him. Fortunately he came to the east coast last Oct for my cousin's wedding so I got to visit with him then. When Spouse got home we had a light lunch on the screened porch then got ourselves together and went to the beach. We had absolutely stunning weather: temperature around 80, nice breeze and very low humidity. The old adage that the weather is always gorgeous after a storm is true, even if Hurricane Earl never actually showed up here. Later that evening we had dinner with 
Doug & Jim on the front porch at Hobo's. I had local rockfish stuffed with lump crab meat which was to die for! We had wanted to eat at Cafe Sole but they only had 2 outdoor tables for 4 and both had just been seated, meaning at least an hour wait. But Hobo's menu is so extensive it wasn't hard to find a dozen irresistible entrees to choose from, even though we'd eaten there last weekend. After dinner I dropped off Spouse at home and went to Dos Locos for karaoke, but found there was none, so I headed over to Mandance a little early. They music was really good and it seemed everyone I knew was there. Fun!
Sun morning Spouse & I met Jason & Kevin for breakfast. Although normally crowded, the service is usually fast there, but not this time. It took us an hour and a 1/2 to order, eat and pay! Once back at home we sat and talked on the screened porch for a while. But since it was yet another stunning day we went to the beach again. Sheer ambrosia! Later that night we met up with Steven & Thad, their friend Alan, and 1 of the Bobs for dinner at Saketumi which was fabulous as always. I had the Volcano roll and the crunchy spicy tuna roll. Afterward we wandered upstairs to the lounge where a women's dance party was going on and ran into a few female friends.
Doug & Jim on the front porch at Hobo's. I had local rockfish stuffed with lump crab meat which was to die for! We had wanted to eat at Cafe Sole but they only had 2 outdoor tables for 4 and both had just been seated, meaning at least an hour wait. But Hobo's menu is so extensive it wasn't hard to find a dozen irresistible entrees to choose from, even though we'd eaten there last weekend. After dinner I dropped off Spouse at home and went to Dos Locos for karaoke, but found there was none, so I headed over to Mandance a little early. They music was really good and it seemed everyone I knew was there. Fun!
Sun morning Spouse & I met Jason & Kevin for breakfast. Although normally crowded, the service is usually fast there, but not this time. It took us an hour and a 1/2 to order, eat and pay! Once back at home we sat and talked on the screened porch for a while. But since it was yet another stunning day we went to the beach again. Sheer ambrosia! Later that night we met up with Steven & Thad, their friend Alan, and 1 of the Bobs for dinner at Saketumi which was fabulous as always. I had the Volcano roll and the crunchy spicy tuna roll. Afterward we wandered upstairs to the lounge where a women's dance party was going on and ran into a few female friends.Mon morning Spouse went to the gym to do some cardio and then went grocery shopping while I
stayed home and cleaned the kitchen. He made a Weight Watchers-friendly birthday cake for Thad and started the chicken parmesan while I tidied up the screened porch and set the tables for Thad's birthday dinner. It was another beautiful day so I took advantage of it by going for a 45-minute walk through the neighborhood. Then I made a salad and helped Spouse get everything ready for Steven & Thad, their friend Alan, 1 of the Bobs and Rusty's arrival for dinner. We spent the entire evening/night on the screened porch and had a great time. Once everyone left we cleaned up and I watched last Thursday's "Project Runway" saved on the DVR. (Watch the videos of the Michael Costello haters!)
stayed home and cleaned the kitchen. He made a Weight Watchers-friendly birthday cake for Thad and started the chicken parmesan while I tidied up the screened porch and set the tables for Thad's birthday dinner. It was another beautiful day so I took advantage of it by going for a 45-minute walk through the neighborhood. Then I made a salad and helped Spouse get everything ready for Steven & Thad, their friend Alan, 1 of the Bobs and Rusty's arrival for dinner. We spent the entire evening/night on the screened porch and had a great time. Once everyone left we cleaned up and I watched last Thursday's "Project Runway" saved on the DVR. (Watch the videos of the Michael Costello haters!) It was a fabulous holiday weekend, even without having out-of-town friends stay with us!
Crush du Jour: Marcus Hamlyn
Monday, August 30, 2010
Weekend highlights
The weekend started as all 'good' weekends do with Fri Night Dinner with 'the usual suspects'. We ate at La Quetzalteca and it was good! I had the enchilada trio and Spouse had chicken mole. (Yes, he calculated the WW points and fit it in.)
Sat started as all 'good' Sat mornings do with Spouse going to his personal trainer appointment and me enjoying coffee with Roger Hazzard and Tonya Meme of "Sell This House". Once Spouse got home we had a light lunch on the screened porch and met up with a bunch of buddies at the beach. It was a spectacular day with lots of sunshine, 83 degrees, low humidity, and a steady breeze coming off the water. What a fantastic day! Except that I scorched my feet on the hot sand. On the way home we stopped at the grocery store, then showered and relaxed for a bit. That evening we met up with our friends Doug & Jim for dinner at Hobo's. It was a lovely evening so we ate on the front porch. Spouse doesn't drink, but the rest of us started with cocktails, followed by appetizers. Spouse had the roasted tomato and basil panzanella soup and I had the AWESOME eggplant artichoke dip which is so good it must contain something illegal. For dinner Spouse had the chicken Buddha bowl and I had an eggplant and goat cheese quesadilla. (Menu here.) Dee-lish! Afterward we went for a short walk on the boardwalk before heading home. I discovered my friend and karaoke DJ Trelynda was working at Dos Locos that night so after I dropped off Spouse, I hung out with Tre for an hour and sang a few tunes. It was great to see her! Then I stopped in at Mandance and shook my groove thing for an hour. I still managed to get home before 1am, which was a good thing since Spouse was waiting up for me!
Sun Spouse & I both slept in until 10:30 (gasp), then had a lovely breakfast on the screened porch while we discussed how to spend our day. Although I kind of wanted a 3rd day in a row at the beach, I acquiesced to sticking close to home and tackling a few projects around the house. We made a quick run to Lowes where we bought spray paint, a medium-size pot (on clearance), grass seed, potting soil, a rosemary bush, 2 pots of basil, a pot of parsley, and a pot of oregano. Back at the ranch I spray painted 2 side tables for the screened porch while Spouse potted all the herbs. He moved some decorate rocks while I spread and watered some grass seed around the porch foundation. We relaxed on the porch for a bit, then showered and dressed for a birthday cocktail party at Deb & Greer's. We saw some friends we knew and made some new ones which is always tops in my book. Neither of us was in the mood to make dinner so we decided to eat out. After checking out (and rejecting) a possible dinner spot, we ended up back at Hobo's. The porch was full so we ate inside which was a nice change of pace. The atmosphere was cozy and quiet inside and lent itself to more conversation. It was almost like being on a date! This time I had the chicken Buddha bowl (which Spouse had the night before) and he had scallops with red curry. Again an amazing meal and a wonderful time with Spouse. TV watching finished off the night and the weekend for us.
Crush du Jour: James Clarke
Sat started as all 'good' Sat mornings do with Spouse going to his personal trainer appointment and me enjoying coffee with Roger Hazzard and Tonya Meme of "Sell This House". Once Spouse got home we had a light lunch on the screened porch and met up with a bunch of buddies at the beach. It was a spectacular day with lots of sunshine, 83 degrees, low humidity, and a steady breeze coming off the water. What a fantastic day! Except that I scorched my feet on the hot sand. On the way home we stopped at the grocery store, then showered and relaxed for a bit. That evening we met up with our friends Doug & Jim for dinner at Hobo's. It was a lovely evening so we ate on the front porch. Spouse doesn't drink, but the rest of us started with cocktails, followed by appetizers. Spouse had the roasted tomato and basil panzanella soup and I had the AWESOME eggplant artichoke dip which is so good it must contain something illegal. For dinner Spouse had the chicken Buddha bowl and I had an eggplant and goat cheese quesadilla. (Menu here.) Dee-lish! Afterward we went for a short walk on the boardwalk before heading home. I discovered my friend and karaoke DJ Trelynda was working at Dos Locos that night so after I dropped off Spouse, I hung out with Tre for an hour and sang a few tunes. It was great to see her! Then I stopped in at Mandance and shook my groove thing for an hour. I still managed to get home before 1am, which was a good thing since Spouse was waiting up for me!
Sun Spouse & I both slept in until 10:30 (gasp), then had a lovely breakfast on the screened porch while we discussed how to spend our day. Although I kind of wanted a 3rd day in a row at the beach, I acquiesced to sticking close to home and tackling a few projects around the house. We made a quick run to Lowes where we bought spray paint, a medium-size pot (on clearance), grass seed, potting soil, a rosemary bush, 2 pots of basil, a pot of parsley, and a pot of oregano. Back at the ranch I spray painted 2 side tables for the screened porch while Spouse potted all the herbs. He moved some decorate rocks while I spread and watered some grass seed around the porch foundation. We relaxed on the porch for a bit, then showered and dressed for a birthday cocktail party at Deb & Greer's. We saw some friends we knew and made some new ones which is always tops in my book. Neither of us was in the mood to make dinner so we decided to eat out. After checking out (and rejecting) a possible dinner spot, we ended up back at Hobo's. The porch was full so we ate inside which was a nice change of pace. The atmosphere was cozy and quiet inside and lent itself to more conversation. It was almost like being on a date! This time I had the chicken Buddha bowl (which Spouse had the night before) and he had scallops with red curry. Again an amazing meal and a wonderful time with Spouse. TV watching finished off the night and the weekend for us.
Crush du Jour: James Clarke
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Hot Coco
Last night I went to see the fabulous and fierce Miss Coco Peru perform at the Blue Moon!
This is my 4th time seeing her perform there. Last year Steven & I went, and this year Steven & Thad and Jason and I went together.
We started with dinner at Cafe Azafrain. We all enjoyed our food but we were slightly annoyed by a small but loud party nearby and the long wait for our food. Fortunately the food was really good. I had 2 tapas plates: baked goat cheese with olives and roasted peppers, and spinach gnocchi. Jason also had 2 tapas plates: fried calamari and seared scallops. Steven had the mozzarella and roasted pepper salad and pasta with wild mushrooms. Thad had the roasted vegetarian plate.
After dinner we walked up the block to the Blue Moon and waited a few minutes for the opening of the doors to the performance space. After securing seats together I went to the bar for drinks. (Cosmo for me, Malibu and diet for Jason, Ginger Ale for Steven.) At the bar I ran into our part-time neighbors from around the corner, Chris & Paul, and learned that they are living here full-time now! We shared our desire to get together soon and catch up. After returning to my seat with the drinks I saw Doug & Jim enter the performance space. There were 2 empty seats directly in front of us so they took them and we were able to chat a bit before the show started.
As beautiful and elegant as always, Miss Coco Peru entertained us with her hilarious stories, inspirational thoughts, campy musical numbers, and her unique perspective on life. Fresh, new material of course. We all roared with laughter over and over again and had a grand time!
In her closing, she announced that she would return to the stage for photo taking and selling of her DVD, something she had not done in her previous 3 visits to the Blue Moon. I was thrilled to hear this since I'd suggested Steven bring his camera, just in case.
Sure enough, after the show I got to talk to Coco!
I reminded her that we had chat via email and Facebook messages over the past few years. She asked for my email address and when I spoke it, she said "Oh yes of course." Then we posed for a photo:
I purchased one of her DVDs (a drag comedy special shown on LOGO) and she autographed it for me.
This is my 4th time seeing her perform there. Last year Steven & I went, and this year Steven & Thad and Jason and I went together.
We started with dinner at Cafe Azafrain. We all enjoyed our food but we were slightly annoyed by a small but loud party nearby and the long wait for our food. Fortunately the food was really good. I had 2 tapas plates: baked goat cheese with olives and roasted peppers, and spinach gnocchi. Jason also had 2 tapas plates: fried calamari and seared scallops. Steven had the mozzarella and roasted pepper salad and pasta with wild mushrooms. Thad had the roasted vegetarian plate.
After dinner we walked up the block to the Blue Moon and waited a few minutes for the opening of the doors to the performance space. After securing seats together I went to the bar for drinks. (Cosmo for me, Malibu and diet for Jason, Ginger Ale for Steven.) At the bar I ran into our part-time neighbors from around the corner, Chris & Paul, and learned that they are living here full-time now! We shared our desire to get together soon and catch up. After returning to my seat with the drinks I saw Doug & Jim enter the performance space. There were 2 empty seats directly in front of us so they took them and we were able to chat a bit before the show started.
As beautiful and elegant as always, Miss Coco Peru entertained us with her hilarious stories, inspirational thoughts, campy musical numbers, and her unique perspective on life. Fresh, new material of course. We all roared with laughter over and over again and had a grand time!
In her closing, she announced that she would return to the stage for photo taking and selling of her DVD, something she had not done in her previous 3 visits to the Blue Moon. I was thrilled to hear this since I'd suggested Steven bring his camera, just in case.
Sure enough, after the show I got to talk to Coco!
I reminded her that we had chat via email and Facebook messages over the past few years. She asked for my email address and when I spoke it, she said "Oh yes of course." Then we posed for a photo: 
I purchased one of her DVDs (a drag comedy special shown on LOGO) and she autographed it for me.
I can't recommend this too strongly: GO SEE HER SHOW!! Check out her website for more dates and locations.
If you can't see her in person, by all means, watch her films, check out her YouTube clips, and join her Facebook fan page. Trust me, you'll be glad you did.
I must give props to my buddy Steven for his awesome photo abilities. He took the photo of Spouse & me in this post (which I cropped to become my current Facebook profile photo) and the 2 photos of me and Coco above. I usually don't like photos of myself but somehow he manages to catch me in the best light, which can't be easy. Thanks Steven!!
Crush du Jour: David Allison
Monday, August 23, 2010
Weekend highlights
Fri night after dinner I decided to sing karaoke. Since different venues have different song books, I tried a new venue and found they had a lot of songs I liked. There wasn't a huge number of singers that night so I got to sing 3 times. I also met some nice, fun people there including a couple who got married in Key West 8 years ago. They've been there 27 times! I also met a man who invited me to join the Philly Pops! It was a fun night. But something very funny happened that I didn't discover until the next day.
After finishing my 1st song I returned to my bar stool and 1 of the bartenders (Gino) brought shots to me and a pretty blond woman (there with her boyfriend). Since I hadn't ordered it I was puzzled. I looked over at the blond woman across the bar who had also gotten the shot and she said to me "You did a great job on that song!", to which I said "Thank you". We both lifted our shots in the air to each other and downed them. I decided to go over and thank her in person, and we talked for a moment about what kind of shot we'd had (Pineapple upside down cake) and she asked if I was going to sing again. The next day I spoke to the other bartender, my friend Jason, and told him how flattered I was by the pretty blond woman who'd bought me a shot. Jason looked at me funny and asked "You mean the Pineapple upside down cake shot?" to which I said "Yes". Jason smiled and said "That was from me. She ordered the shot for herself and since I had extra, I gave one to you." So, when I got the shot and looked at her, it was a complete coincidence that she said "You did a great job on that song!" She didn't buy me the shot! Then I realized that when I went over to her and said thank you, I didn't say "Thank you for the shot", I just "Thank you" which she obviously thought I was thanking her for saying "You did a great job on that song!" Jason and I had a good laugh about that!!!
Sat morning Spouse had his personal trainer appointment and I had coffee and watched "Sell This House". After a quick bite to eat, we went took Big Ella to a car show in Georgetown and met up with our buddies Rick & Nick and Ken & Don. There were 101 cars registered and we enjoyed being there despite the humid weather. Afterward Spouse took a nap and I went to the beach at 2:30 and played several games of beach volleyball with Jason and the other volleyball guys.
Sat morning Spouse had his personal trainer appointment and I had coffee and watched "Sell This House". After a quick bite to eat, we went took Big Ella to a car show in Georgetown and met up with our buddies Rick & Nick and Ken & Don. There were 101 cars registered and we enjoyed being there despite the humid weather. Afterward Spouse took a nap and I went to the beach at 2:30 and played several games of beach volleyball with Jason and the other volleyball guys.
I'm a little stiff today but it was a lot of fun! The water was very comfortable so we enjoyed several nice swim breaks between volleyball games. I stayed at the beach until 6:30. That night we went to Saketumi for our friend Chris' surprise 50th birthday dinner. The food was terrific as always (I had 2 sushi rolls) and we had a great time. Afterward I dropped Spouse off at home and then met up with some friends at Mandance, including our friend Doug from Doug & Jim. Since Jim wasn't feeling well he stayed home, leaving me and Doug to talk, laugh, gossip, and dance the night away. It was a lot of fun. I got compliments from several friends at the birthday dinner and at Mandance about my recent haircut.
I was concerned it was too short, but everyone confirmed the opposite.
Sun morning Spouse & I met Steven & Thad and The Bobs at the beach at 11:00. We were only there about an hour and 1/2 when it started pouring down raining! We got soaked before we could make it back to the car. Once back at home we showered and had a snack. Spouse took a nap and I watched a little TV. I was in the mood for a good, crunchy veggie-filled salad so I invited Steven & Thad and Bryan & Jason to join us at Ruby Tuesday. We had a nice time talking over dinner. Spouse & I stopped at the grocery store (my least favorite chore) on the way home. After putting away the food and feeding/walking the dog, Spouse & I settled in for a relaxing night of TV watching.
Crush du Jour: Fernando Barcelona
Monday, June 22, 2009
Weekend highlights
Despite the less-than-desirable weather, we had a very nice weekend.
Instead of our typical Fri night dinner at a restaurant with 'the usual suspects', we had a BBQ at one of the guy's house. John provided the burgers, brats, and dogs while everyone else brought the appetizers, side dishes, and dessert. I made Paula Deen's corn casserole, which is a guaranteed crowd pleaser. I take it to every potluck, cookout, and BBQ. I wonder if our friends will EVER get tired of this? I suspect not. The weather was nice and we had a good time.
Afterward we headed to the beach for a 'Bear Bash' party at Shag restaurant and club. We wanted to support our friend and local store owner Chris who teamed up with Shag owners Tim & Nick to create 'Bear Bash', a party for Bears and Bear lovers. They had a $3. drink special called 'Fuzzy Nipple', and a $5. food menu.
Although Spouse does not self-identify as a 'Bear', you'd have to be Helen Keller not to notice that he fits the 'Bear' stereotype, as least physically. We didn't eat since we had just come from the BBQ, but I did have a 'Fuzzy Nipple' and Spouse had a soda. We saw several friends, sat and talked for a while, and had a very nice time. It was fun to do something 'different' like that. Shag is a lot of fun because they play terrific 70s & 80s music.
Sat it basically rained all day. We decided it would be a great day to go the movies (to see 'Star Trek') but apparently so did all of the disappointed vacationers whose day at the beach was rained out. The theatre parking lot was absolutely jammed to the point that it created traffic problems out on the street, and there was a long line at the box office, so we scrapped the idea and went back home. We had an easy, relaxing day at home. I finally updated my blog list on this here blog; a long overdue task. Later that evening we met our buddies Doug & Jim for drinks and dinner at Rigby's, which recently opened in the space that used to be Partners Bistro. Fortunately the food at Rigby's is much better than their predecessor, and we had a nice time. Then we walked with Doug and Jim to Aqua, an outdoor gay bar, and hung out for a while.
Sun it rained or sprinkled off and on most of the day. Between showers we went to the grocery store and K-Mart. My $19.99 mp3 player quit working so I neatly returned it to its packaging so I could exchange it for another one. But store don't do 'exchanges' anymore. Instead they force you to stand in line at the returns desk (which is never staffed with more than 1 person) to get a refund for the item, then force you to stand in line again at the regular cash register to purchase the replacement item. (I miss the old days when you simply swapped a new one for the old one and there was no register transaction or writing down your name/address/phone number required. I know, I'm old.) Unfortunately, when the returns clerk tried to refund the $19.99 back onto my debit card, it wasn't a match. Apparently the day we purchased it Spouse had used his debit card (from the same bank account) to pay for it. So I had to go find him in the store, get his debit card, and stand in line all over again to complete the refund. Making it worse was the clerk's surly attitude. She didn't offer to bring me to the front of the line when she saw me come back with the other debit card, either. Then, as the refund was processing, she again told me in an elementary school Principal kind of way that she could only refund the price back to the card used for the original purpose. I wanted to scream in her face "Its the same f*cking joint bank account!!!", but decided it would likely be in vain. I opted NOT to go purchase a replacement mp3 player at that time, but instead, to just get the f*ck out of that store.
Later that evening Spouse & I had dinner, and since the weather had improved significantly, we went for a walk on the boardwalk. Along the way we stopped for a few minutes to listen to an a cappella group perform at the bandstand, which was fun. The weather was dreamy. The rain had stopped, the temperature rose, there was a great breeze, it was pretty close to perfect for our walk and convertible ride. We ended our weekend by watching some TV before going to bed.
As much as we enjoy having friends visit on weekends, its also kind of nice not to have company. We're not actively inviting anyone during the construction so we'll have several more such 'open' weekends this summer, unlike past summers when we had lots and lots of visitors. I like the variation.
Crush du Jour: Carlos Yabrudy
Instead of our typical Fri night dinner at a restaurant with 'the usual suspects', we had a BBQ at one of the guy's house. John provided the burgers, brats, and dogs while everyone else brought the appetizers, side dishes, and dessert. I made Paula Deen's corn casserole, which is a guaranteed crowd pleaser. I take it to every potluck, cookout, and BBQ. I wonder if our friends will EVER get tired of this? I suspect not. The weather was nice and we had a good time.
Afterward we headed to the beach for a 'Bear Bash' party at Shag restaurant and club. We wanted to support our friend and local store owner Chris who teamed up with Shag owners Tim & Nick to create 'Bear Bash', a party for Bears and Bear lovers. They had a $3. drink special called 'Fuzzy Nipple', and a $5. food menu.
Although Spouse does not self-identify as a 'Bear', you'd have to be Helen Keller not to notice that he fits the 'Bear' stereotype, as least physically. We didn't eat since we had just come from the BBQ, but I did have a 'Fuzzy Nipple' and Spouse had a soda. We saw several friends, sat and talked for a while, and had a very nice time. It was fun to do something 'different' like that. Shag is a lot of fun because they play terrific 70s & 80s music.Sat it basically rained all day. We decided it would be a great day to go the movies (to see 'Star Trek') but apparently so did all of the disappointed vacationers whose day at the beach was rained out. The theatre parking lot was absolutely jammed to the point that it created traffic problems out on the street, and there was a long line at the box office, so we scrapped the idea and went back home. We had an easy, relaxing day at home. I finally updated my blog list on this here blog; a long overdue task. Later that evening we met our buddies Doug & Jim for drinks and dinner at Rigby's, which recently opened in the space that used to be Partners Bistro. Fortunately the food at Rigby's is much better than their predecessor, and we had a nice time. Then we walked with Doug and Jim to Aqua, an outdoor gay bar, and hung out for a while.
Sun it rained or sprinkled off and on most of the day. Between showers we went to the grocery store and K-Mart. My $19.99 mp3 player quit working so I neatly returned it to its packaging so I could exchange it for another one. But store don't do 'exchanges' anymore. Instead they force you to stand in line at the returns desk (which is never staffed with more than 1 person) to get a refund for the item, then force you to stand in line again at the regular cash register to purchase the replacement item. (I miss the old days when you simply swapped a new one for the old one and there was no register transaction or writing down your name/address/phone number required. I know, I'm old.) Unfortunately, when the returns clerk tried to refund the $19.99 back onto my debit card, it wasn't a match. Apparently the day we purchased it Spouse had used his debit card (from the same bank account) to pay for it. So I had to go find him in the store, get his debit card, and stand in line all over again to complete the refund. Making it worse was the clerk's surly attitude. She didn't offer to bring me to the front of the line when she saw me come back with the other debit card, either. Then, as the refund was processing, she again told me in an elementary school Principal kind of way that she could only refund the price back to the card used for the original purpose. I wanted to scream in her face "Its the same f*cking joint bank account!!!", but decided it would likely be in vain. I opted NOT to go purchase a replacement mp3 player at that time, but instead, to just get the f*ck out of that store.
Later that evening Spouse & I had dinner, and since the weather had improved significantly, we went for a walk on the boardwalk. Along the way we stopped for a few minutes to listen to an a cappella group perform at the bandstand, which was fun. The weather was dreamy. The rain had stopped, the temperature rose, there was a great breeze, it was pretty close to perfect for our walk and convertible ride. We ended our weekend by watching some TV before going to bed.
As much as we enjoy having friends visit on weekends, its also kind of nice not to have company. We're not actively inviting anyone during the construction so we'll have several more such 'open' weekends this summer, unlike past summers when we had lots and lots of visitors. I like the variation.
Crush du Jour: Carlos Yabrudy
Monday, April 20, 2009
Satisfying Saturday
I certainly enjoyed a satisfying Saturday.Spouse & I slept in until about 9, had coffee and talked about our day. We decided to have a late breakfast out, which is sort of unusual for us, but enjoyable none-the-less. After so much crappy weather lately, it was a welcome relief to find the sun shining brilliantly and the temperature significantly warmer. So, down went the convertible top and up went my spirits!
After breakfast we ran a few errands, then came home and did a little housecleaning. Spouse took a nap and I went to the gym for an hour: 30 minutes of cardio on the treadmill followed by 30 minutes of arms, chest, and abs. Sometimes I look at myself in the mirror and remember what I used to see and think to myself "Hey, you're getting there!" Other times, like on Sat, I see guys at the gym with nice big arms and pecs that stretch their t-shirts tight and I think about myself "Boy, you've got a long way to go".
Working out has become infinitely more enjoyable since the purchase of my mp3 player. I'm likely the last gay on earth to buy one, but whatever: I'm a late adopter. An hour goes by lickity split when I'm jammin' to Miss Jackson's nasty grooves. (FYI - 'Rhythm Nation' is great for the treadmill.) I also lip-synched along to RuPaul and 80s disco hits. I have to remind myself to only lip-synch and never sing out loud while listening to my mp3 player. Although I have a good singing voice, no one wants to hear a queen singing while pumping iron. Upon returning home I shuffled my music and reloaded the mp3 player for next time, then hit the shower. When I got out of the shower I noticed in the mirror that my face was a little pink from being in the bright sunshine with no sunscreen. I didn't care.
It was so gorgeous I tried to think of any reason to be outside. I took the dog for a walk. I considered pulling some weeds or trimming some of the neglected landscaping but decided against this since I'd just showered. Instead, I took Big Ella out for a little exercise. As usual, I received multiple high-fives, thumbs up, compliments, and questions about Big Ella's birth year. She never fails to make an impression.
Then Spouse & I walked to a local Mexican restaurant to meet up with our buddies Doug & Jim. The restaurant is tiny, with only 6 tables for 4 and 4 tables for 2, so when we arrived at 7:00 Doug told us the wait would be 90 minutes. I thought he was joking, but he confirmed he was not. Normally Spouse & I wouldn't wait even 1/2 that long, but since Doug & Jim invited us to dinner and had picked the place, we just decided to go with it. We sat at the bar and ordered margaritas, which were fabulous, and then ordered chips and salsa and the guacamole sampler, which was also fabulous. The sampler contained 3 varieties of guac: shrimp and garlic, tomato and onion, and goat cheese and pine nuts. Dee-lish! It took every single one of those 90 minutes before our table was ready, but the time flew by since we were eating and drinking and talking with our buddies. We all enjoyed our meals, too.
After 2 large, potent margaritas I was glad we'd walked instead of driven to the restaurant, because I was certainly not fit to drive. Spouse, me, and my tequila buzz watched TV for a little while and then went to bed.
A very satisfying Saturday, indeed.
Crush du Jour: Fred Goudon
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Holiday weekend highlights
Finally, I've got some time to share our holiday weekend highlights!
Fri afternoon our friends John & Marty came over to show us the landscaping plan John designed for our yard. Wow - it is amazing! John currently works as a florist and has a seemingly limitless knowledge of plants and flowers. He took our desire for a low-to-no maintenance yard, our favorite blooming plants and flowers, our desire for year-round color, and the soil and climate, and converted them all into a beautiful, casual garden.
There are some hardscapes, a water feature, outdoor art work, and a meandering path - all the things we said we liked. I was expecting a hand-drawn sketch with lots of notes, but John delivered a professional landscape plan made with computer software, and a list of what to buy. Needless to say we were extremely happy and impressed. I want to hire someone to purchase and install everything now, while Spouse wants to have it done in stages. Fortunately we agree that it will need to wait until the house in VA goes to settlement and we have time to meet with a landscape company.
Marty & John joined us for dinner with 'the usual suspects'. We had our largest dinner group so far with 16 people! In addition to John & Marty, there were 2 other visitors. Olivier & Francois are 2 French Canadians vacationing from Montreal. They were nice guys whose English was much better than my French. Occasionally I tossed in a word or simple phrase in French in an attempt to make our visitors feel welcomed. I asked them if they liked Poutine and they seemed a little surprised I knew of it. One of the Americans asked what it was, and I felt slightly superior since I was able to describe it and pronounce it correctly, thanks to Tornwordo.
We had such a fun time on our 'night out on the town' with Doug & Jim a few weeks ago we decided to do it again, sort of. As we drove into Rehoboth Beach it was quite apparent it was Labor Day weekend. The little seaside resort town was absolutely packed! We drove around for nearly 40 minutes looking for a parking place. We decided to skip cocktails at a bar and have them at the restaurant instead, while we (undoubtedly) waited for a table. Sure enough, there was a 30-40 minute wait, so we squeezed into the tight bar area and ordered cocktails.
We enjoyed chatting with them about vintage cars, politics, and made plans to meet at the beach the next day.
That afternoon Spouse & I went to a BBQ at George & Steve's in Dover. They are sweet guys who invite us to their BBQs every Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day, only we are never able to go because we always have company on those holiday weekends. So our company cancelling actually allowed us to finally join these friends for their famous BBQ.
And finally, I must plead with everyone to STOP SAYING "summer is over" just because Labor Day has passed. I lost count of how many people I heard say this over the long weekend. I love summer and am not ready for it to be over yet. Our a/c is still turned on, I'm still driving with my convertible top down, and people are still coming to the beach. Here in the mid-Atlantic region we usually experience Indian Summer well into Sept. Last year we were still going to the beach in early Oct. You may begin saying "summer is over" when the leaves are changing colors, and no sooner.
Crush du Jour: Anderson Cooper
Fri afternoon our friends John & Marty came over to show us the landscaping plan John designed for our yard. Wow - it is amazing! John currently works as a florist and has a seemingly limitless knowledge of plants and flowers. He took our desire for a low-to-no maintenance yard, our favorite blooming plants and flowers, our desire for year-round color, and the soil and climate, and converted them all into a beautiful, casual garden.
There are some hardscapes, a water feature, outdoor art work, and a meandering path - all the things we said we liked. I was expecting a hand-drawn sketch with lots of notes, but John delivered a professional landscape plan made with computer software, and a list of what to buy. Needless to say we were extremely happy and impressed. I want to hire someone to purchase and install everything now, while Spouse wants to have it done in stages. Fortunately we agree that it will need to wait until the house in VA goes to settlement and we have time to meet with a landscape company.Marty & John joined us for dinner with 'the usual suspects'. We had our largest dinner group so far with 16 people! In addition to John & Marty, there were 2 other visitors. Olivier & Francois are 2 French Canadians vacationing from Montreal. They were nice guys whose English was much better than my French. Occasionally I tossed in a word or simple phrase in French in an attempt to make our visitors feel welcomed. I asked them if they liked Poutine and they seemed a little surprised I knew of it. One of the Americans asked what it was, and I felt slightly superior since I was able to describe it and pronounce it correctly, thanks to Tornwordo.
We had such a fun time on our 'night out on the town' with Doug & Jim a few weeks ago we decided to do it again, sort of. As we drove into Rehoboth Beach it was quite apparent it was Labor Day weekend. The little seaside resort town was absolutely packed! We drove around for nearly 40 minutes looking for a parking place. We decided to skip cocktails at a bar and have them at the restaurant instead, while we (undoubtedly) waited for a table. Sure enough, there was a 30-40 minute wait, so we squeezed into the tight bar area and ordered cocktails.
After a brief conversation with these 2 guys from Pittsburgh who looked like Sopranos caricatures, we were eventually seated. Lupa di Mare is a great restaurant, as are the rest of Matt Haley's restaurants we've visited. The 4 of us had exceptional dinners and desserts.
Sun morning Rick & Nick came over for breakfast. Spouse made blueberry oatmeal pancakes and scrambled eggs with cheese and sausage.
We enjoyed chatting with them about vintage cars, politics, and made plans to meet at the beach the next day. That afternoon Spouse & I went to a BBQ at George & Steve's in Dover. They are sweet guys who invite us to their BBQs every Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day, only we are never able to go because we always have company on those holiday weekends. So our company cancelling actually allowed us to finally join these friends for their famous BBQ.
Upon returning from Dover we fed and walked Jordan the dog, then walked to the canal where the charter boats are docked. Doug & Jim and Rick & Nick met us there for a evening boat cruise at 7:00. Until Doug suggested this, I didn't know they offered an evening cruise. I thought they only took fishermen out for saltwater fishing. The evening cruise was just $15. and lasted an hour and a 1/2, which we all agreed was a terrific bargain. We enjoyed seeing the Lewes canal and Delaware Bay from an entirely different perspective. We saw several lighthouses and the breakwater, which controls the tides from entering the bay from the ocean. And then there was the sunset. It seemed like one of the most beautiful ever, with its hot oranges, peaches, pinks and salmons against the steel blue-grey watery horizon.
After the cruise Rick & Nick went home and Doug & Jim asked us to join them for dinner at Beseme, just across the canal from the boat. I remembered a kumquat and soba noodle dish I'd seen the last time we ate there, but I ordered something else because I was afraid it might not be enough to satisfy me. But this time I wasn't as hungry so I thought the kumquat and soba noodle dish would be perfect. Unfortunately they were out of it! Guess I'll have to go back. A guy was playing the guitar and singing, so that was a nice treat with our meals.
On Mon Spouse & I met Rick & Nick on the beach around 12:30. It was a beautiful day, with a gentle breeze and not a cloud in the sky. Not surprising, there were a lot of people on the beach since it was Labor Day. We had a great time and stayed until 3:00. Spouse & I had angus burgers and Deitz & Watson hot dogs cooked on the grill for dinner, which we ate on the screened porch while listening to Bette Midler sing the Peggy Lee songbook. Delightful!
And finally, I must plead with everyone to STOP SAYING "summer is over" just because Labor Day has passed. I lost count of how many people I heard say this over the long weekend. I love summer and am not ready for it to be over yet. Our a/c is still turned on, I'm still driving with my convertible top down, and people are still coming to the beach. Here in the mid-Atlantic region we usually experience Indian Summer well into Sept. Last year we were still going to the beach in early Oct. You may begin saying "summer is over" when the leaves are changing colors, and no sooner.
Crush du Jour: Anderson Cooper
Monday, August 18, 2008
Night out on the town
Sat was another beautiful day. Spouse & I took my car to the car wash, then went to a car show in Georgetown DE, about 1/2 an hour away. It was held at a Chevrolet dealership and was sponsored by a local Corvette Car Club. Not surprisingly, more than 1/2 the cars in the show were Corvettes.
Rick & Nick were there, too. Rick had shined up his '93 Competition yellow Corvette so it looked like glass.
Nick had waxed his '94 black Viper Hennessey Venom 4 times!
They proudly displayed their super cars to the adoring fans. It really wasn't my kind of car show, since I am a big fan of big fins.
Rick & Nick were there, too. Rick had shined up his '93 Competition yellow Corvette so it looked like glass.
Nick had waxed his '94 black Viper Hennessey Venom 4 times!
They proudly displayed their super cars to the adoring fans. It really wasn't my kind of car show, since I am a big fan of big fins.
But since it wasn't far from home and we hadn't anything else planned, we went and did enjoy it. We were only there for about 45 minutes.
Sat afternoon included a big dose of relaxing, internet surfing, napping, and TV watching. Then Spouse & I headed over to our friends' Doug & Jim's place and the 4 of us went into Rehoboth Beach for our big 'night out on the town'.
Our 1st stop was at Aqua for pre-dinner cocktails.
It was a gorgeous evening and Aqua has a large outdoor bar area. Next we had dinner at my new favorite outdoor restaurant Shag. It was our 3rd time there and we had the same waiter all 3 times. We enjoyed tasty food and funky tunes as we continued catching up with our friends.
Then we walked to Cloud 9 for their Madonna's 50th Birthday Bash.
No, Madonna was not scheduled to appear there, but like most other dance clubs, Cloud 9 was hosting an 'all Madonna, all night' tribute. The DJ played a lot of heavily remixed songs; some were so remixed they were unrecognizable until the lyrics began. But it was fun to watch people dance, and when we'd had a few cocktails ourselves, we joined the dancing devotees. We got home at 2:00am and remarked that it was the latest we'd been out in a long, long time.
Spouse is not one to hang out in a bar so we only do it on rare occasions with friends. But Spouse always has a great time when we do it. His idea of an exciting Sat night is when there's a really great 'Today's Special Value' on HSN. Hey, its all about compromise.
Sun we met Rick & Nick at the beach, which is our traditional Sun afternoon activity. Strangely, there was a great breeze blowing in the parking lot, but not much on the beach, so it felt warmer than usual. But it was a gorgeous day so we enjoyed it anyway.
After returning home we showered, fed and walked the dog, and then picked up some fried chicken from Kick'n Chicken and ate it in the car while parked at Lewes Beach. The sun was setting and the sky was a brilliant smear of oranges, pinks, and grey-blue.
It was indescribably beautiful, and reminded me yet again why we moved here.
So there you have it: another weekend in our Lewes Life, complete with a night out on the town!
Crush du Jour: Nick Beyeler
Sunday, February 13, 2005
A Busy Week
Wow, it has been a really busy week.
Things at work have really picked up. Not that I wasn't busy enough before things picked up. But this passed week has been unusual. Of course there's all the regular stuff for which I am responsible, but then there were some very UNusual things too. One of my clients scheduled a series of 10 webcasts with me about a month ago, but I found out that their office was being closed and that everyone except for one manager had been "released" (read: laid off) on Tuesday. In the 2 1/2 years I've been working here, I think this is the first time a client was laid off DURING a project.
Outside of work, things have been busy too. On Tuesday I had to make an unplanned trip to the shore, related to our old place that's for sale. I decided not to wait until after work, since it would be a 5 hour round trip at a minimum, getting me home very late at night. So, I left the office at 2:30, drove up there, took care of my business, had a bite to eat, and drove back home. Joe would have gone with me, but he had a board meeting to attend that night.
I've also been coordinating some maintenance and repairs for the old place at the beach, so that has captured my time and thoughts more than usual. Plus, I needed to find a new florist to deliver Joe's Valentines flowers on Monday. I used to use a wonderful florist in the town where he worked. The flowers were always nice and fresh, and the arrangements were always stunning. I'd ask them to create something "different", and would often request certain flowers or certain colors. I don't care for multi-color floral arrangements because they remind me of funerals. So often I'd tell them I wanted an 'unusual-looking arrangement just in shades of purple, lavender, lilac, and white", or something like that. But since Joe changed jobs a few months ago and doesn't work in that town, I needed to find a new florist.
Joe loves flowers, and I love to send them to him at his office. So I send him flowers on Valentines Day (Feb), our anniversary (May), his birthday (July), and then on some random 'surprise' date in the fall. It seems unfair to get flowers in winter, spring, and summer, leaving fall out completely. So I pick a random date in fall to surprise him.
Then Thursday night was our regular dinner with Evelyn. Friday night my aunt Mary took Joe & me out for my belated birthday dinner.
It has become a tradition with my aunt Mary for us to take her out for a nice (fancy) dinner on her birthday, and she does the same for us. Since my birthday is in December and we were so busy in December, we didn't get a chance to have our dinner until just this past week. It's always fun, so it is definitely not to be missed. I try to pick new or different places for my birthday, but Joe always picks the same place for his birthday: McCormick & Schmick's. They have very good food and service, but at a price. This time I decided I wanted to go to an Italian restaurant called Esposito's. I knew it wasn't all that fancy, but good Italian food can be so enjoyable that it was worth the try. My aunt, however, who had been there before, thought the food was good but that it wasn't fancy enough to 'qualify' for my birthday dinner, so we decided on another restaurant none of us had tried before. Being a Friday night, I suggested we try to make a reservation, or put our name on the call ahead list. (So many places it seems are getting away from reservations, but will put you on a call ahead list. Isn't that basically the same thing?)
The girl who answered the phone told my aunt they usually had a "wait list", but since it was 5:00 and no one was waiting to be seated, there was no "wait list". My aunt was unsuccessful in explaining that we were going to be arriving at 7:30 when there would definitely be a wait. The girl suggested she call back later when people were waiting. I'm sure my aunt was rolling her eyes and shaking her head in disbelief, but she did as the girl suggested. At 6:30 she called back to put our name on the "wait list" and was informed the wait would be "120 minutes". This baffles me. Why would you put your name on a "wait list" if the wait would be the same amount of time as if you just showed up?
So, we decided to go to my original restaurant choice, Esp0sito's. When we arrived at 7:30 there was no wait, and the food and desserts were fabulous. It was a good birthday dinner!
Saturday we prepared to have guests for dinner. (See my previous post entitled "Keeping my New Year's Resolution".) When we returned from the grocery store, we stuck with our strengths: I cleaned the house and set the table and Joe cooked. He made a pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas, biscuits, and corn casserole. Our friends Doug and Jim were to bring dessert when they arrived at 7. The dinner (in the kitchen) was delicious and we had a wonderful time visiting with our friends. They are very sweet guys, and are also dog lovers, so they didn't seem to mind our over-affectionate beagle, Jordan.
Sunday morning we met Kerry, Hugh, and George for brunch at the Capitol City Brewing Company. In the summer we meet there and eat outside because they have large patio. But since it is February we ate indoors. It was fun to see them and to check up on George's post-surgery progress. George had knee surgery a little over a week ago and is doing great. It really helped his mobility. After brunch the three of them headed down the street to the theatre to see "Sideways". We would have liked to have joined them, but the movie would have ended a bit too late for us, as we needed to make another trip to the grocery store (forgot to get dog food) before getting ready for our Sunday dinner guests.
Clark and Mike arrived promptly at 5, bearing the gift of purple tulips. I love tulips! We had a cocktail and talked a bit while 'The Ethel Merman Disco album' played in the background. Yes, its true, Ethel Merman made a disco album. Joe and Mike are fans of The Merm, but I am not. However, this CD does have its entertainment value. Then we had a traditional Italian family Sunday dinner: rigatoni with meatballs and sausage, garlic bread, and salad. It's one of Joe's specialties that Mike & Clark have had before but crave from time to time. We ate in the kitchen and had a great time visiting with them, although we talked a lot about the sad state of politics and how gay people are being "used" by Republicans. They are great friends.
I've had more thoughts this week to share, but haven't had the time to sit down and properly organize my thoughts this week. Hopefully this coming week will be a little less hectic, at least away from work.
Things at work have really picked up. Not that I wasn't busy enough before things picked up. But this passed week has been unusual. Of course there's all the regular stuff for which I am responsible, but then there were some very UNusual things too. One of my clients scheduled a series of 10 webcasts with me about a month ago, but I found out that their office was being closed and that everyone except for one manager had been "released" (read: laid off) on Tuesday. In the 2 1/2 years I've been working here, I think this is the first time a client was laid off DURING a project.
Outside of work, things have been busy too. On Tuesday I had to make an unplanned trip to the shore, related to our old place that's for sale. I decided not to wait until after work, since it would be a 5 hour round trip at a minimum, getting me home very late at night. So, I left the office at 2:30, drove up there, took care of my business, had a bite to eat, and drove back home. Joe would have gone with me, but he had a board meeting to attend that night.
I've also been coordinating some maintenance and repairs for the old place at the beach, so that has captured my time and thoughts more than usual. Plus, I needed to find a new florist to deliver Joe's Valentines flowers on Monday. I used to use a wonderful florist in the town where he worked. The flowers were always nice and fresh, and the arrangements were always stunning. I'd ask them to create something "different", and would often request certain flowers or certain colors. I don't care for multi-color floral arrangements because they remind me of funerals. So often I'd tell them I wanted an 'unusual-looking arrangement just in shades of purple, lavender, lilac, and white", or something like that. But since Joe changed jobs a few months ago and doesn't work in that town, I needed to find a new florist.
Joe loves flowers, and I love to send them to him at his office. So I send him flowers on Valentines Day (Feb), our anniversary (May), his birthday (July), and then on some random 'surprise' date in the fall. It seems unfair to get flowers in winter, spring, and summer, leaving fall out completely. So I pick a random date in fall to surprise him.
Then Thursday night was our regular dinner with Evelyn. Friday night my aunt Mary took Joe & me out for my belated birthday dinner.
It has become a tradition with my aunt Mary for us to take her out for a nice (fancy) dinner on her birthday, and she does the same for us. Since my birthday is in December and we were so busy in December, we didn't get a chance to have our dinner until just this past week. It's always fun, so it is definitely not to be missed. I try to pick new or different places for my birthday, but Joe always picks the same place for his birthday: McCormick & Schmick's. They have very good food and service, but at a price. This time I decided I wanted to go to an Italian restaurant called Esposito's. I knew it wasn't all that fancy, but good Italian food can be so enjoyable that it was worth the try. My aunt, however, who had been there before, thought the food was good but that it wasn't fancy enough to 'qualify' for my birthday dinner, so we decided on another restaurant none of us had tried before. Being a Friday night, I suggested we try to make a reservation, or put our name on the call ahead list. (So many places it seems are getting away from reservations, but will put you on a call ahead list. Isn't that basically the same thing?)
The girl who answered the phone told my aunt they usually had a "wait list", but since it was 5:00 and no one was waiting to be seated, there was no "wait list". My aunt was unsuccessful in explaining that we were going to be arriving at 7:30 when there would definitely be a wait. The girl suggested she call back later when people were waiting. I'm sure my aunt was rolling her eyes and shaking her head in disbelief, but she did as the girl suggested. At 6:30 she called back to put our name on the "wait list" and was informed the wait would be "120 minutes". This baffles me. Why would you put your name on a "wait list" if the wait would be the same amount of time as if you just showed up?
So, we decided to go to my original restaurant choice, Esp0sito's. When we arrived at 7:30 there was no wait, and the food and desserts were fabulous. It was a good birthday dinner!
Saturday we prepared to have guests for dinner. (See my previous post entitled "Keeping my New Year's Resolution".) When we returned from the grocery store, we stuck with our strengths: I cleaned the house and set the table and Joe cooked. He made a pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas, biscuits, and corn casserole. Our friends Doug and Jim were to bring dessert when they arrived at 7. The dinner (in the kitchen) was delicious and we had a wonderful time visiting with our friends. They are very sweet guys, and are also dog lovers, so they didn't seem to mind our over-affectionate beagle, Jordan.
Sunday morning we met Kerry, Hugh, and George for brunch at the Capitol City Brewing Company. In the summer we meet there and eat outside because they have large patio. But since it is February we ate indoors. It was fun to see them and to check up on George's post-surgery progress. George had knee surgery a little over a week ago and is doing great. It really helped his mobility. After brunch the three of them headed down the street to the theatre to see "Sideways". We would have liked to have joined them, but the movie would have ended a bit too late for us, as we needed to make another trip to the grocery store (forgot to get dog food) before getting ready for our Sunday dinner guests.
Clark and Mike arrived promptly at 5, bearing the gift of purple tulips. I love tulips! We had a cocktail and talked a bit while 'The Ethel Merman Disco album' played in the background. Yes, its true, Ethel Merman made a disco album. Joe and Mike are fans of The Merm, but I am not. However, this CD does have its entertainment value. Then we had a traditional Italian family Sunday dinner: rigatoni with meatballs and sausage, garlic bread, and salad. It's one of Joe's specialties that Mike & Clark have had before but crave from time to time. We ate in the kitchen and had a great time visiting with them, although we talked a lot about the sad state of politics and how gay people are being "used" by Republicans. They are great friends.
I've had more thoughts this week to share, but haven't had the time to sit down and properly organize my thoughts this week. Hopefully this coming week will be a little less hectic, at least away from work.
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