Weekend Update

Best weekend ev... wait. You know, I've had some really good weekends in my life. Maybe I should drop the hyperbole.

The weekend was awesome, though. Saturday was Chris's birthday party. I'd ordered some things as gifts for his birthday, but when they arrived I was busy, so I just set the box aside. I do that frequently, which led to my having a half-dozen boxes sitting around. It wasn't hard to figure out which box was Chris's, but while I was on a roll I opened all the boxes and dealt with most of the items within them. I also cleaned off all the junk mail from the dining room table. Brian and Julianna dropped by with Alex, who enjoyed running around our yard and "helping" Chris (different Chris from the one having the birthday party) and Dmitri install the new pool heater.

The party itself was a blast, and I got to see several people I haven't seen since Bill moved out, including Bill. We played many rounds of a new-to-us game called Tsuro (note to self: buy a copy), and then a very long but very fun game of Times Up!, which is charades on steroids. Mia got very drunk, which is when her lesbian side comes out, and she flirted with me for much of the later half of the evening. I have strong opinions about not allowing people to do things when they're drunk that they would seriously regret when they're sober again, so Mia flirting with me would never go very far, but it was very entertaining. Plus, her version of "*hic* I love you, man!" is much more specific and heartfelt, which was touching.

A few months ago I met a friend of Ken & Monique's named Sean, who I was pleasantly surprised to find is also a friend of Chris & Mia's and was at the party. Sean is a fun guy just to hang out with, but fortune smiled upon me that night, and it turns out that Sean is also a web developer who does a lot of work with PHP, which is the one part of my job that I have been unsuccessful at passing off to someone else. I was sad at first to find that he really likes his current job and probably wouldn't entertain an offer of employment. Sad, that is, until he told me that he runs a consulting business on the side and would do the work as a contractor, which means I get to pass that part of my job off AND not have to give him benefits or worry about what to have him do during a lull between projects. Sign me up! His hourly rate is reasonable, not too high or too low. (Yes, it's possible to be too low. There is no benefit to me if he quits midway through because it's not worth his time and effort to continue. Someone who undervalues their time is just as undesirable as someone who overvalues it.)

Sunday we mostly lazed about the house, then took dinner to my Mom. She was reasonably well behaved, although she's pretty much lost all ability to complete a sentence using words that make sense. On the way home we stopped at Border's so that I could pick up a book on ponds (the Garden Project Du Jour). All I can say is that I should not be allowed to go into a bookstore any time I am in the mood to go into a bookstore. My "book on ponds" turned into 8 books. I have mixed feelings about this. On the positive side: Books! Glorious books! On the negative side: $100, and I already have a stack of books that I haven't read that would fill an entire bookcase. My head knows that I no longer have the kind of reading time I used to, but my heart just refuses to believe it and keeps buying books like I'm reading at the same rate I did before demanding jobs and MMORPGs and house ownership. However, I still lean towards the positive part of it, because: Books! Glorious books!

We have a new bed. Our old bedframe squeaked every time it moved. Turning over was loud, and I don't even want to talk about the sounds it made during more strenuous activities. Chris had offered to make a platform bed for us (it's worth noting that his bedroom is directly below ours, so his offer was made for his benefit as well as ours), which he and John installed over the weekend.

Chris also finished cutting down some shrubs, and I started the process of cleaning up the area they were in. Since I'm using some chemical solutions to get the roots out, I probably won't be able to plant anything in the area until next year, but it's progress.

Monday we had an impromptu barbecue and pool party. Chris, Mia, Ken & Monique came over with their kids. Swimming with small children is always fun, although it's also always exhausting. By the time we were done, none of the adults felt like doing much of anything, so we just sat and talked and watched the kids play together.

Weekend Update

Best weekend ev... wait. You know, I've had some really good weekends in my life. Maybe I should drop the hyperbole.

The weekend was awesome, though. Saturday was Chris's birthday party. I'd ordered some things as gifts for his birthday, but when they arrived I was busy, so I just set the box aside. I do that frequently, which led to my having a half-dozen boxes sitting around. It wasn't hard to figure out which box was Chris's, but while I was on a roll I opened all the boxes and dealt with most of the items within them. I also cleaned off all the junk mail from the dining room table. Brian and Julianna dropped by with Alex, who enjoyed running around our yard and "helping" Chris (different Chris from the one having the birthday party) and Dmitri install the new pool heater.

The party itself was a blast, and I got to see several people I haven't seen since Bill moved out, including Bill. We played many rounds of a new-to-us game called Tsuro (note to self: buy a copy), and then a very long but very fun game of Times Up!, which is charades on steroids. Mia got very drunk, which is when her lesbian side comes out, and she flirted with me for much of the later half of the evening. I have strong opinions about not allowing people to do things when they're drunk that they would seriously regret when they're sober again, so Mia flirting with me would never go very far, but it was very entertaining. Plus, her version of "*hic* I love you, man!" is much more specific and heartfelt, which was touching.

A few months ago I met a friend of Ken & Monique's named Sean, who I was pleasantly surprised to find is also a friend of Chris & Mia's and was at the party. Sean is a fun guy just to hang out with, but fortune smiled upon me that night, and it turns out that Sean is also a web developer who does a lot of work with PHP, which is the one part of my job that I have been unsuccessful at passing off to someone else. I was sad at first to find that he really likes his current job and probably wouldn't entertain an offer of employment. Sad, that is, until he told me that he runs a consulting business on the side and would do the work as a contractor, which means I get to pass that part of my job off AND not have to give him benefits or worry about what to have him do during a lull between projects. Sign me up! His hourly rate is reasonable, not too high or too low. (Yes, it's possible to be too low. There is no benefit to me if he quits midway through because it's not worth his time and effort to continue. Someone who undervalues their time is just as undesirable as someone who overvalues it.)

Sunday we mostly lazed about the house, then took dinner to my Mom. She was reasonably well behaved, although she's pretty much lost all ability to complete a sentence using words that make sense. On the way home we stopped at Border's so that I could pick up a book on ponds (the Garden Project Du Jour). All I can say is that I should not be allowed to go into a bookstore any time I am in the mood to go into a bookstore. My "book on ponds" turned into 8 books. I have mixed feelings about this. On the positive side: Books! Glorious books! On the negative side: $100, and I already have a stack of books that I haven't read that would fill an entire bookcase. My head knows that I no longer have the kind of reading time I used to, but my heart just refuses to believe it and keeps buying books like I'm reading at the same rate I did before demanding jobs and MMORPGs and house ownership. However, I still lean towards the positive part of it, because: Books! Glorious books!

We have a new bed. Our old bedframe squeaked every time it moved. Turning over was loud, and I don't even want to talk about the sounds it made during more strenuous activities. Chris had offered to make a platform bed for us (it's worth noting that his bedroom is directly below ours, so his offer was made for his benefit as well as ours), which he and John installed over the weekend.

Chris also finished cutting down some shrubs, and I started the process of cleaning up the area they were in. Since I'm using some chemical solutions to get the roots out, I probably won't be able to plant anything in the area until next year, but it's progress.

Monday we had an impromptu barbecue and pool party. Chris, Mia, Ken & Monique came over with their kids. Swimming with small children is always fun, although it's also always exhausting. By the time we were done, none of the adults felt like doing much of anything, so we just sat and talked and watched the kids play together.

Quotable conversation for the day

I came downstairs after taking a nap to find that Jared was talking to John in the family room. This is how the conversation went:

Jared: Your server in Flint is back up.
Me: *nod* I know.
Jared: Oh, John told you already?
Me: No, I know because if it were still down after this long and you two were sitting here casually chatting instead of fixing it, I'd fire both your asses.

Quotable conversation for the day

I came downstairs after taking a nap to find that Jared was talking to John in the family room. This is how the conversation went:

Jared: Your server in Flint is back up.
Me: *nod* I know.
Jared: Oh, John told you already?
Me: No, I know because if it were still down after this long and you two were sitting here casually chatting instead of fixing it, I'd fire both your asses.

Birthday party July 5th!

Once again, we've failed to halt the aging process, so we've decided to throw a party again. This year, John turns 40. Since we both hate "Over The Hill" parties, the theme of this year's party will be "40 years and still a kid". There will be a pinata, sidewalk chalk, a sprinkler to run through, bubbles to blow, quick children's games, volleyball/badminton, and whatever else I can find. I have been promised a Slip N Slide and given a lead on a Moonwalk that can be used by adults.

There will, of course, be adult pursuits as well. The game closet is open, and so is the pool. The TV is available, though it's worth noting that the DVD player, the PS2 and the Wii are all hooked up to the same television so you may have to draw straws for it (or move things around the house; we have other TVs). We will barbecue.

You bring: You, your significant other, your kids, your swimsuit and towel, beer if you want it, Pepsi products if you want them, special-diet food items if you want them.

We provide: Hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken breasts, some brats, side dishes (including options for vegetarians), some alcohol options (think wine coolers/Mike's lemonade, wine, rum, vodka, peach schnapps, and whatever else strikes my fancy as I'm shopping), Coke products, other non-alcoholic beverage options as I think of them, kids games, adult games, a Wii, a PS2, a limited selection of toys for children, cake, chips/snacks, plates, silverware, napkins, a grill and a pool.

Directions can be found at http://livegame.lodden.com/directions.php. Everyone is welcome, but people who arrive before 2pm will be put to work cleaning the house or preparing food.

Birthday party July 5th!

Once again, we've failed to halt the aging process, so we've decided to throw a party again. This year, John turns 40. Since we both hate "Over The Hill" parties, the theme of this year's party will be "40 years and still a kid". There will be a pinata, sidewalk chalk, a sprinkler to run through, bubbles to blow, quick children's games, volleyball/badminton, and whatever else I can find. I have been promised a Slip N Slide and given a lead on a Moonwalk that can be used by adults.

There will, of course, be adult pursuits as well. The game closet is open, and so is the pool. The TV is available, though it's worth noting that the DVD player, the PS2 and the Wii are all hooked up to the same television so you may have to draw straws for it (or move things around the house; we have other TVs). We will barbecue.

You bring: You, your significant other, your kids, your swimsuit and towel, beer if you want it, Pepsi products if you want them, special-diet food items if you want them.

We provide: Hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken breasts, some brats, side dishes (including options for vegetarians), some alcohol options (think wine coolers/Mike's lemonade, wine, rum, vodka, peach schnapps, and whatever else strikes my fancy as I'm shopping), Coke products, other non-alcoholic beverage options as I think of them, kids games, adult games, a Wii, a PS2, a limited selection of toys for children, cake, chips/snacks, plates, silverware, napkins, a grill and a pool.

Directions can be found at http://livegame.lodden.com/directions.php. Everyone is welcome, but people who arrive before 2pm will be put to work cleaning the house or preparing food.