Where to Begin? A Long Recount

Ok, so it has been several days since I last posted. We went to House Sit for the weekend. Cora took her computer, but I left my dinosaur behind. I checked my mail, but nothing else, it was supposed to be a relaxing weekend!!

Friday: I subbed my last of four days of music. I went home and got all our crap together, meaning I packed and did the dishes so we did not have any living organisms in the sink when we returned.

The trip was not bad. We dropped off the dogs at Cora's sister's house and went for some P.F. Chang's. We called it in and dropped by a grocery store for a bottle (or two) of wine. Dinner was excellent. We had Lettuce Wraps, Orange Peel Beef, Black Bean Chicken, and Sezchuan Asparagus. After letting dinner settle a smidgeon, we retired to the hot tub. Just to be perfectly honest, and unbiased...I HAVE TO GET ME ONE OF THOSE!! Afterword, we sat outside cooling off. The pool was still just a little chilly for our tastes...70 degrees.

Saturday: I awoke early (630am), despite a fairly late evening. I went downstairs and made coffee. I read my newest book: The Arnheiter Affair. It is a story of a Queeg-like captain (You should read the Caine Mutiny if you don't know who Queeg is...or wikipedia it) during the Vietnam War. He was SO idiosyncratic, narcissistic, and blind that he drove the crew near madness before he was relieved. He disobeyed orders, falsified reports, lied, stole, and was just downright a wannabe navy hero. The crew thought he was just a little different at first, but his true colors began to show, and within 99 days he was relieved. It is a most fascinating book.

Cora got up later and made breakfast! She made sausages and cinnimon rolls...do I know how to pick a wife or what!? We relaxed around the house for awhile and then got ready to go shopping. She needed to get a few things and I wanted a book. Well, I did get a book, but it wasn't the one I thought I'd get. I also ended up getting three shirts. These are shirts I expect will be very comfortable in Africa. They are a light cotton material that promises to dry quickly, plus they have loads of pockets. Cora also obtained some new additions to her wardrobe. For the record, we only really shop for clothing a couple times a year. I also bought a bargain book by an author I am fond of. I ended up buying the book I really wanted on Amazon at about 2/3rds the price I could have gotten in the store.

We went to lunch at Nothin' But Noodles. It was good. We returned to the house to check on the dogs, then returned to the mall for a litte more shopping and we watched Star Trek. Now there is a good movie! I might give something away here, so if you have not seen it yet, go to the next paragraph and I won't be hurt. I was intersted to see the back story of the crew. The original series never hinted at very much. This one starts with Kirk being born...interesting to be sure. Turns out this movie is actually a (This is your last warning if you don't want the movie ruined) different reality than the original series. This seems to indicate the writers don't want to interfere with the original plot lines and are free to make up their own new adventures. I am very happy with it. The humor was wonderful! At times side-splitting. I expect the coming batch of movies in the next decade will be something that Gene Rodenberry would have been proud of.

Now (yes, it is safe to read from here if you haven't seen the movie yet), if I were anything near what my long deceased best friend was, I would be able to give you a few quotes, verbatim, and have it mean something. Alas, I am NOT the genius that my late best friend was, I can only say, it is a movie worth seeing.

For dinner, after the movie and long day shopping, we decided on some pizza. Not just any pizza would do for us, however. We prefer Atomic Brewpub and Eatery pizza. It is not a big restaraunt, but it is a restaraunt with big taste! The beer is, well, excellent. Their pizza is spectacular! We have eaten there several times in the past couple years. Each time is a new exprience! I am especially fond of their Plutonium Porter. We had a Thai Peanut Chicken Pizza...it has real peanuts on it. It was delicious! Cora stayed with the dogs and I picked up the pizza. I asked the bartender how long a pizza took to bake. He said about 15 minutes...I said, "So, about the amount of time it would take me to drink a beer?" He said, two if you drink fast.

We had pizza and then relaxed in the hot tub again. Again, the pool remained just a wee bit more chilly than we were prepared to subject our anatomies to. We did sit out in the lawn chairs again and watch the stars. It was really nice. I wish our house was a bit different...I guess we should have been more prescient when we bought it nine years ago.

Sunday: We had no intention to leave the house, except perhaps to add a new touch to the house, which we did not do...but may in the future, even though Emily doesn't know what it is. I spent the day reading. My book was getting progressively better. Cora watched some of the Stargate SG1 episodes on DVD that I bought her for her birthday and she took a nap or two...I read my book in the shade as the temperture rose to the mid-eighties. I DID wade in the pool a bit, since it was so hot. Still, I was not done reading and so was reluctant to put the book down...and the pool was still cold.

We came home after Emily returned and I turned on my computer. I lucked out and got a job: Kinders today. It was fun, if a bit nerve-wracking. Seems each teacher has a different way with their kids and on different years: these were different from last year's kids. I enjoyed the day, nevertheless.

I came home and mowed the lawn...if you're counting, I mowed it on Thursday and it probably needed it again Saturday. I had put the mower back in the shed at a slight angle because I was too lazy to make sure it was flat...well, some oil had gotten into the cylinder and leaked out; it did not start right away. I finally got it going after I added some more oil...a bit too much, since it smoked the whole time.

I also mde dinner, a weird, quirky collection of Asian and American dishes: Steak and Fried Rice with griled sweet onions. I apologized to Cora, but she assured me in a Friends (remember the series?) way, quoting Joey all the way: "Steak? GOOD. Fried Rice? GOOD. Onions? GOOD!" You gotta love my wife's sense of humor.

So, tomorrow I sub for sixth graders. I will be teaching the older sister of one of the kinders I taught today...funny how things work out.

I hope all had a good weekend, too! Oh, yeah. It's been 28 years since the eruption of Mt. St. Helens! Which is a mountain I don't think Cora has ever seen...but, she will elaborate on that someday.