.jeri.

Hey everyone,

Hope you all had a good weekend. We definitely did!

It started off with an unlikely movie offering - Son of Rambow at the cheap theater! I almost took a long drive and paid regular rates to see this movie. Now I'm glad I didn't, because you just can't beat having a limited release movie showing less than a mile away from work for only $1.50. I napped during the rest of the afternoon. The back needed rest. That evening, I drove over to Gron's for girls' night. Dan and Jenine were visiting from Boston, for the first time in a few years. The guys had their poker night while the girls went out on the town. We had a progressive dinner type of night. We started by walking a mile or so to Cafe Veronese, where we shared a fruit and cheese platter out in the garden. From there we went to Frati for some gelato, and we ate out on the patio, where we could hear a little bit of the music from Steamers. We kept on walking, to Stubrik's, for a little bit of nostalgia, some squaw bread, and a few drinks. We walked back to the apartment after that, and while a couple girls went home, I stuck around with Grace and Jenine. I played some piano pieces for them and we chatted. I was just about to leave when Ric told me the poker was almost over, so I waited and drove him home around 3am. It was just like the old days.

Saturday, I slept in, did a bit around the house (I'm trying to be more consistent with cleaning and chores - we'll see how long it lasts!) and then Ric and I captured the cat to take him to the vet. Pip is so funny. We never know what he's going to be like at a vet. He was good until the rectal thermometer was inserted, and then he started hissing. When the nurse went to remove it, Pip scooted forward so he could get it out as quickly as possible. Haha! We warned them that he can be testy, and they took it lightly. But when he took a good swipe at the vet, they started listening! We spent a lot of time waiting in the examination room and Pip spent most of that cowering with his head hidden under the nook of my arm. When the nurse came to take him away for a few vaccinations, she grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, and his eyes were the widest I had ever seen. We laughed pretty hard about that. When the nurse came back, she had the vet assisting her, and they had thrown a towel over Pip's head. They were laughing a lot, so my guess is that he wasn't very friendly. We now have a goal to help him lose a little weight (he's around 15 pounds) and we also have to give him eye ointment for a small infection three times a day. During checkout from the vet (which is in a PetSmart), some crazy dude kept meowing and poking at the cat carrier. We were a step away from telling him off, but I think it was a real mental issue, so I let it go.

In the evening, we drove out to the home of Wes and Liz, in Yorba Linda. It's a beautiful home, and it was fun to see their son Christian running around. He's very talkative and mellow at the same time. Loki the dog is crazy for attention as ever. Gron and Danine rounded out the group, and we all brought our own meats to barbecue. We talked the night away on the patio. As I was telling David earlier today, I think I had forgotten what it was like when we all got together - the conversation never lulls, the variety of topics is always interesting, and my friends are freakin' smart! I love listening to them. Ric and I drove home around one in the morning.

Sunday I was the only one who had the energy for church. Ric is still a bit tired out from his accident last week, plus all the social stuff wears him out as well. I hung out with the Andersons for a bit and then went home. We weren't sure whether or not everyone was getting together again, so we stayed around the house just in case. Ric got to work on the bathroom with a second coat of paint and installation of the light (which is actually in a nickel color, but you get the idea). I watched Batman Begins and napped. Lazy me. I was in a funk yesterday. In the evening, we went to Target, got some food, played some Xbox (yay for Paperboy downloads!), and watched an episode of Sledgehammer.

Up this week: nothing planned.. yet! *Update* Movie night on Wednesday, duh! And loads of fun in grocery land tonight!