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parties and non-parties
July 07, 2008
Saturday was okay. In addition to P&E, and Nephew, E invited her best friend, her godson, and godson's little brother along to swim. So it was a bit...busier than I'd expected. I didn't swim, partly due to the kids (if there are kids, and I swim, I always end up playing lifeguard) and the cramps (blindingly, hideously horrible.)
Newphew helped out considerably, doing some cleaning in the house and helping his uncle get the lawn furniture, the pool, and the yard ready. He also did a lot of barbeque prep, tended bar, and handled most of the cleanup.
What a kid. He's so very much like me. Once the party was swinging along, he retreated to a shady spot with his book. Crowds (even small ones) aren't his thing. He handles people much better one or two at a time, which I totally relate to. He was a lot more engaged once everyone left and it was just the three of us.
The food was exceptional, of course. With Spouse, P, and Nephew on the case, it could scarcely be otherwise. Spouse made Hawaiian barbeque pork loin, barbequed boneless riblets, and even grilled shrimp, since E no longer eats red meat.
P was in charge of veggies, and came through in his brilliant and original way. In addition to grilling the usual bell peppers and onions, he did roasted red potatoes Mediterranean-style, skewered chunks of sweet potato and beets, roasted fennel, and he even baked a pan of corn muffins over the charcoal! Give P a great big fancy charoal grill, and he turnes it into a 3-star kitchen.
I did contribute to the food, a bit. I stirred up a Jell-O cheesecake mix and made mini-cheesecakes in muffin cups, then dressed them up a bit with fresh raspberries and blackberries. And we had the cut up watermelon and cantaloupe on hand, as well, which was fortunate--the two kids preferred that to the cheesecake. But the mini cheesecakes were a hit with the adults, which was nice. Always a pleasure when you can do something easy and simple, but it looks and tastes like a full-on effort.
Regarding the title: During the course of Saturday's party, P ended up on the phone with Nephew's dad, and they concocted a plan to have a party on Sunday, to christen the new deck (at Nephew's dad's, house, that is.) Keeping in mind that this is the fellow who "hosted" Christmas, without actually providing any food. Yeah, well...he kind of wanted the same deal here. Despite the fact that Spouse, E, and myself were all less than thrilled with the idea, P and JF made their little pact, and we all felt a bit roped in. We went along with it, though--at least it seemed that way. So after OUR party, even though I was exhausted and feeling quite wrung out from the crowd and the cramps...
I went to the grocery store, then came home and made a dish of baked beans and a pasta salad (just like I did last week, for T's birthday.) Which I did entirely for P, because he really seemed to be into it, and I am very fond of him--and he is the giver there, so I tend to sympathize with him a lot.
P called on Sunday morning to say the whole thing was cancelled.
Well, shit. I really hadn't figured to get that lucky. And even though I ended up stuck with a bunch of food nobody wanted, I really was relieved. Apparently, E had seriously jumped P's shit about things after they left our house. (Their dynamic is such that E, like Spouse, is the only one allowed to make plans without consulting their partner.) P got spanked quite thoroughly, by the sound of it. Long story short, party cancelled.
Here is a fact about me: A day that includes sunshine, blue skies, temperatures in the seventies, gardening, swimming, napping, beading, watching WKRP, and ice cream, and EX-cludes putting on underwear and/or leaving my property...is a perfect day.
I reveled in it.
All good things must end, however. I woke up this morning with a light sunburn, an upset stomach, diarrhea, and all-over ache, and a foul and feverish headache. I went to work, because it's the day after a holiday weekend, and if you call in sick they never believe you.
Aside from some of the usual bullshit around the place, and the weather turning foul--hot, muggy, grey, stormy--it wasn't a bad decision. My gastric issues dissipated around nine, and I was able to deal with the rest by administration of some Pamprin that I had in my purse. (It's not just for periods anymore!)
Plus, my boss AND the noxious ass on the other side of the wall were both off, so work was actually a pretty pleasant place to be.
Even though I in the mood to come straight home and crash today, I made myself stop for an oil-change on the way home--since I was around 1200 miles overdue for it. I didn't get it done the weekend it was due, and then it totally slipped my mind. Done now, though--and I see it went up another two bucks since the last time. Not only that, but I had to go with Quaker State instead of Pennzoil, my usual brand. They're charging a five dollar premium for the big P now.
On an up note, though...the weather cleared up for just enough of the day for me to get in a good swim. It was grey and gloomy until just before I left work, then the sun came out for a few hours. It's glooming back up now, though, and the forecast is for storms around midnight.
Reading: "The Suicide Murders", by Howard Engel.
Beading: A woven bracelet in light green, lavender and pale blue bicones surrounded by carnival-finish seed beads.
Surfing: Fine Lines. "Happy Endings Are All Alike". I never read this, but it sounds pretty typical of a lot of YA books from the late 1970s. Given the stuff I came of age on, can you blame me for feeling betrayed by the sudden and violent swing to conservatism the 1980s brought?
Listening: Foreigner, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Deep Purple.
At Random: click here
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