stuff and nonsense

all kinds of stuff has been going on lately, but as stated--i have been too damned busy to say much about it. now that i have a free minute, ai am like--let's see--what are the highlights again? prepare yourself for a long rambly post.

numero uno--the sam came!
she was here over 4th of july weekend, and of course, it was FABULOUS to have her here and just get some time to hang out. she always times her visits such that we end up putting her to work. she has come here to help paint, to help throw parties (like this time), for job interviews, etc. the one time she just came to visit (the first time, actually), i was in the emergency room with a nosebleed that wouldn't stop and a blood pressure of 172/134. i had to get our friend steve, who she barely knew at the time, to pick her up. and then she got to see my apartment looking like a murder scene. there was literally blood everywhere. so yeah--we need a do-over just hanging out weekend sometime. the sam, i love her.

numero dos--the peach cobbler incident.
while she was here, sam threatened to revoke my Southern Card^®! can you believe the nerve of that wench??? and all becasue i have never made peach cobbler. like THAT is all there is to it! it's true i need to learn how. peach cobbler is one of those things that i would give anything to have my grandmother back in her right mind long enough to learn. my grandmother is alive and in good physical health, but her mind is gone. and every time something like this comes up, i am sorry i can no longer call her for advice in the kitchen or to learn one of her longstanding fabulous recipes that is now lost forever. her sage stuffing, her pecan pie, her blackberry and peach cobblers. *sigh* dimentia sucks. but i digress... samantha brought with her not only her grandmother from texas's peach cobbler recipe, but also her great grandmother from goergia's as well. i have grandmother jealousy. i STILL haven't made any cobbler--but the one sam made was awfully tasty. :)

numero tres--we had a big old cookout.
on the third of july, we had a bunch of people over for burgers and dogs and baked beans and potato salad and watermelon and peach cobbler and banana pudding, etc. oh yeah, and mint juleps and vodka limeade and beer. there was a dozen tiki torches, a yard full of kids pretending to be tyrannosaurus rexes, a cast aluminum table generously offered for party use by our neighbor janie, two kinds of artichoke dip, a trio of 4 year old girls drinking lemonade with cocktail umbrellas and various party straws (fish, flowers, birds), a herd of people all just hanging out, and a couple of games of bocce in the park a block from the house. friends and smiles and drinks all around. things ended on the early side, but it was still a good time. did i remember to take pictures? of COURSE not! that is always my failing at these events.

next: a cocktail party. love the kids, but once in a while, you gotta lose them and hang with some grown-ups.

numero quatro--my pseudo-mother-in-law is coming!
that's what my boss calls her. :) the hippie's mother and baby brother are driving down from PA tomorrow for a visit. i think i look forward to their visits every summer even more than the hippie does. i think i am lucky that i like my SO's mother, and that i get along with the rest of his family pretty well, too. i am going to take some time off at the end of this week to hang out with them, maybe drive down to the beach for a day. tristan (the baby brother) has only been to the beach once in his life (when we took him), and he LOVES it. if only the remnants of dennis will go away and leave us alone...

i am thankful that unlike wendy, i don't have to stock up on pork products and gin when the (pseudo-)in-laws come! (wendy just survived a rather trying visit, and did so with humor and style and grace. her's has become one of my most favorite blogs.)

numero cinco--my friend tom is in town.
and that means sushi for dinner tonight! tom is one of my favorite people i have ever worked with. when i was working in tech support for this company, i actually started out LIKING my job, if you can believe that. i was working with tom and our friend chris, and it was fabulous! a blissful 3 months before all hell broke loose and never let me look back. but again, i digress. tom lives in PA now, but is in for a week of work here in RTP. we get to relive the time when we had tea together every morning for a whole week. :) yay for more friend time! tom, by the way, is the crassest person i ahve ever met. it's like his claim to fame. well, that and the fact that he is also one of the smartest people i know. miss the tom.

ok--that is SO enough rambling for now. i should go do some more work, although i swear, people--i am burned out today!