Monday, October 13, 2003

Weekend Wrapup - Things Aren’t Bad

I had a good weekend, in retrospect.  I don’t know why I was in such a foul mood for so much of it, but here are highlights to prove that I must have been mistaken:

* After a solid week of good work, I got out to the east bay for a bloggerfest with Greg, Kate, Jennn, Mark, Peter, and of course HelenJane and James, who aren’t blogging anymore and therefore don’t get on the list.  I ate and drank into a deep rich state of satiation, and was elated to meet Mark, overjoyed to meet Peter (who’s already been of instrumental assistance to me on a few technical matters and may wind up a critical part of union negotiations this year, though he doesn’t know it yet), and then of course meeting Kate - words pale and deflate in the face of describing such a sparkling individual, so I’ll just say she’s fabulous.  Everybody kept the conversation and the pitchers of hefe and fat tire sparkling.  And on the way home I listened to Neil Young’s Greendale, which is really quite good. 

Saturday I struggled most of the day with computer issues, barely getting out into the lovely warm October weather to do a little unsuccessful shopping.  But that evening, as I set up my salmon/white-bean casserole (turned out really well actually), Charles called to see if we’d join him and his wife Lori for supper - we’d have been fools to say no.  We brought a really fine bottle of Navarro Pinot Noir and were served a beautiful caprezi salad of sweet cherry tomatoes and fresh buccocini mozzerella, a crystal-clear chicken broth in which asiago raviolis frolicked, and then a plate of the best lamb I’ve ever eaten, roasted in a fennel and coriander crust and served with carmelized white wine leeks and roasted parsnips, turnips and carrots.  Dessert was braeburns and granny smiths, sliced very thin with chestnut flower honey and cheese the I can only remember as “monster cave” cheese; that wasn’t the name but it’s close (not muenster, either).  We also got to meet Lori’s very cool nephew who might be moving out to SF soon, and generally had a lovely time.  Charles agreed to help even more with my photo digitizing project too so you may see some of my photos on line eventually. 

Sunday we had a lovely walk with the lovely dog and then visited the east bay again to have a few hours with Andy and Heidi and the girls in their lovely sukkah, which if you’re curious is another jew thing but a very nice one honestly.  On the way home we stopped by REI where I finally got the tight black yoga shorts my firm cheeks have been demanding for a few months, and then enjoyed the blue angels (the foregoing was facetious sarcasm) as they clogged traffic on the bay bride with their goofball airshow.  They left the whole bay with a thick layer of smoggy exhaust, more’s the pity.  Once home, we puttered briefly and then had supper with dave and kim and the kids, a tremendous burrito consumed while the 9’ers lost in tragic style on television, followed by an hour of Scorceses’ new series on the blues. 

Now it’s a beautiful monday, I’m off work and we’re headed out with the dog for some coffee, and then to the conservatory to check out the new butterfly collection.  Damnit, life isn’t bad. 

And to keep the theme going, here’s a quick nugget from services last week, ‘cause the joy joy joy joy’s down in my shorts (where?) down in my shorts, to stay! 

“The point is not how much we love each other when we love each other - it’s how much we love each other when we hate each other.” Avram Davis

Okay?  Okay.  Now be safe out there, and we’ll get back to some heartwrenching stuff tomorrow.