For A Visit

I got to go to brunch today! It was great to see everyone. Then I hung with my parents for a bit.

Mom is getting a dog. She wants a Yorkie, but will very likely end up with a Pomeranian by the end of the week. Dad doesn't want a dog. I tried to tell him that he has to live with it, though. It's mom's bonus money that she's using. She can spend it how she wants!

After I got home, I played an old video game for a while (anyone remember Secret of Mana?). I needed a little break from yarn. Tomorrow, it will be back to work.

Remind me to check with Fox and Fae and my parents about New Year's Eve plans this year. I want to have a big mondo movie night again like we did a couple years ago.

Land of the Lost

I went home for brunch this weekend. It's the first brunch I've been to in some time. Afterwards, mom and I decided to go to the movies.

We would either see Land of the Lost or Night at the Museum. I decided on the first because I'm likely to buy the second even if I don't see it in theaters because the first Night at the Museum was quite good. I wasn't super excited about this Land of the Lost film (I'm really not fond of the lead actor), but I thought it might have some funny parts and so would be worth a look at least once.

It had some funny parts. More than half of them were revealed in the trailers. The best bits were the little Easter eggs of the original TV series, particularly when this film's version of Rick Marshall started singing the original theme song (and the lyrics applied to events in the film. I thought that was clever).

It wasn't anything to write home about. It's barely enough to blog about, and I probably wouldn't recommend anyone go see it unless they really had nothing better to do. Still, if you are a fan of the '70's TV show, you might find this new portrayal of Grumpy amusing, and the Sleestacks were as scary, if slow, as ever.

Trek to the Water

For the first time since I moved, I have remembered and been able to attend the Sunday brunch with the RenFaire group. It was fun. I bought a hat. Now, I'm watching a TV show on the computer.

The Soothsayer of Doom

Today was brunch day. We decided to go to the Kilarney House (a great little Irish place in Davidsonville) rather than our regular Buddy's in Annapolis. We didn't get to make that nice walk, but we did have better food and a more sophisticated atmosphere.

The Soothsayer of Doom is a friend and brunch regular who was telling us a story of her husband's recent kayaking mishap. I'm not going to retell it here, how about I just say it involved cold water and waste-deep sludge. Oh, and not calling so someone knew where he was. He's going to get a lecture about that from Fox and I when next we talk.

After brunch, Fox joined mom and I for some shopping at Trader Joe's and wandering around the shopping mall, since we didn't get our walk in because of the location of brunch and the rain.
That's it for the day!

And Then There Was More Waiting

The wind was a little cold, but the walk to brunch was welcomed exercise. My mother and I are getting less and less fond of this place that we go every month. We're hoping maybe the group would welcome meeting somewhere else. I did need to run to the hardware store. Really, Annapolis has other things going for it that make it a good meeting place. If only there was a decent place to eat.

With little reminding, dad filled out the form. Thanks, dad! He's actually on his way to Chicago right now for business. But, he did take care of the paperwork, even before he packed, like I asked him to (and I did ask).

Mom and I went by the office and dropped it in the lock box, and then sat in the car in front of my house and marveled at all the stars we could see. Now, there's some more waiting. The sales lady is going on vacation on Tuesday, so the last bits for this loan need to be done tomorrow. I hope to get a call from her soon that all is well. Soon.

We Know How to Party

Thanks to the warm-ish weather, we were able to meet Fox and Fae at their apartment and walk the mile to Annapolis in relative comfort. Brunch was alright. One of the things I don't like about this place is that their cooks seem to have issues with grits and cream chipped beef (and yes, the cream chipped beef is on my do-not-eat list, but some days you just have to ignore diet restrictions!), they get them right maybe a tenth of the time. Yesterdays creamy beef dish was quite yummy, but the grits were soup. Grits should be firm, almost mashed potato-y, you should be able to eat them with a fork with ease. Soupy grits is just foul! We also tend to not like the lack of veggies. Really, I think the only reason we go to this place every month is because of the location. One of these, we're going to try their crab dinner. Someday.

There is a better place to go for brunch, actually, there are two. But not as centrally located, and without the nearby shops and the good walking exercise we can get by going to Annapolis. Alas!

After our meal, we had some shops to go to. The first was the comic store where I bought some bags and boards for my new collection. By the way, if any of you, fair readers, have any tips on acquiring comics that are no longer available when eBay fails, I'd love to hear them! Among our shopping, I also bought a new hat (like I need another).

Then we walked back to the car, visited with our friends a bit, and headed home.

We weren't quite hungry for dinner, and we're not Big Game watchers (except dad). We did have a sophisticated Super Bowl party though! We had garlic and bean dip with baked pita and tortilla chips, some ready made hot wings, a delectable French Beaujolais, and some yummy Trader Joe's decaf coffee. Really, why have beer when you can have wine?

I'm happy the Giants won, the Patriots deserved the loss. I didn't watch the game, of course. My mom and I were in the other room with a movie.

Not the Time for Shopping

Despite the threat of rain, we walked the mile or so to Annapolis for brunch. I bought a new hat before we walked back, then mom and I did some shopping.

This time of year isn't a good time for shopping. True, we got a later start on it than we would have liked, but it also took a lot longer than anticipated. With only four stores to visit, we should have been able to get home by 1600. However, we didn't get home until some time after 1500. Still, there was enough time to move the VCR from the spare room and set it up to record Tin Man tonight.

Hopefully we'll remember how seriously we need to stay away from all stores during this time of year!

I Had a Title Earlier

but I forgot it.

Did you remember to set your clocks back?

Today was the first of our monthly brunches for this off-season. There was a good group of us, but we didn't linger in Annapolis for very long.

The thing about this time of year is that the leaves change color and die and fall off. They fall harmlessly to the forest floor, and into gutters and drains, and on lawns, and on cars. All around, the leaves fall. And the leaves need to be raked into nice big piles on the street so people from the county can come by on or about tomorrow and suck them up. "On or about tomorrow," by the way, means "in a month." But, we had to get raking in anticipation. This is when I thought of the great title that should have gone on today's entry, but I have forgotten it.

After our fabulous yard work-out, we had some tea and my mother and I watched Pan's Labyrinth. I bought it because I had heard so many good things about it. I knew it would be intense, and probably a little hard to watch, and so it was. It was bloody, and it was stressful. But it certainly earned its three Academy Awards. I hope soon I will get a chance to check out the special features on disk two. The story was beautiful and hopeful and sad, and it made you have to choose which parts were fantasy and which were reality. I like how that detail was not spelled out for me.

I wonder if I shall have strange dreams tonight.

My Last Brunch

Because I'll be in Boise during that last brunch of the season.

It was such a lovely day to be walking around Annapolis. The sun was shining, there was a nice breeze, and the humidity that usually cripples outdoor activity was almost non-exsistant. Beautiful!

After yummy brunch, we went over to the mall to secure our Transformers tickets. Oh, it's so frustrating! I told everyone I would see it on opening day, but the friggin movie people kept changing it! All the previews I saw indicated it would open July 4th (a perfect day!). Then all the TV and radio commercials and movie ticket websites like Fandango indicated July 3rd (Ok, that's a fine day too). The blurb of the official website still said July 4th, but the main page said July 2nd (an impossible day). When does this movie open?!?! You don't have to answer that, because I know it. It opens tomorrow. There is not enough time for me to get home, go to a movie, and then get home in time to go to bed to get up for work the next day so we have tickets for Tuesday night. This was disappointing, though. I really wanted to see it on opening day. Why did they keep moving the date?! *grumble*

It was so nice today that we turned off the A/C and opened up some windows. Ahhhh. This won't last until Wednesday kayaking (they're saying it will be humid again by Wednesday) but we can enjoy it for now!

The Atlantic Hurricane Season

What's left of Tropical Depression Barry brought us a lot of light rain. It's kind of funny that the first named storm of the season started before the season. My name is on the list this year! I hope I become a hurricane and do some damage! I don't want to kill anyone, just some general havoc. It'd be neat if I make it up to the Chesapeake like Hurricane Isabel did in 2003. I'll have to keep an eye out for me!

In any event, rain means that we wouldn't be walking to brunch today. So we drove.

There was a good group who came out in the rain for brunch this morning. Eight of us were there, where there is normally four or five. Believe it or not, in a world of bread, meat, and mayonnaise, I was actually able to find something to eat and stick mostly to my diet.

Rain didn't leave for much shopping either, though we did have to run to the hardware store to get another cork for mom's kayak. We like to plug the scuppers to keep the decks as dry as possible. And there's a lot of sediment in the waters where we kayak, so water doesn't come up through he scuppers, but some totally grody brown foam stuff. Yuck. So, a plug to stop that from happening!

Mom and I did a tiny bit of shopping; groceries at Trader Joe's and some new paddling gloves at EMS. I also found one of those backpacks that can carry water. Then it was off to home, and some movies.

I've been doing a lot of su doku lately. Rain tends to make many people not want to do much but sit around, I guess. Not sure what yesterday's excuse was, then.

Brunch and Hats and All That Jazz

I'm usually the person who tells everyone when there's anything of note in the sky. It was very odd, last night, almost everyone was beating me to it! My grandmother, my aunt, my uncle. Everyone knew about this eclipse.

I think my family was a little disappointed because it was so dark. Hello?! It's an eclipse! The very nature of the thing means it will be dark! Of course, that made it too dark for pictures. It was an awesome deep red though.

Then we went to the monthly brunch, I bought a new hat (knit cap, to help keep my ears warm in the cold wind). Then we came home and went shopping again. We never made it to the grocery store yesterday, you see, and needed a few things for the week.

I think I'll be working some more overtime this week. While it's sometimes very hard to do, extra cash will help fund this year's trip to Boise. July seems so far away!

Brunch, Hats, and Holy Smokes - It's Cold!

For those of you who live near coastal waters, or really large bodies of water, have you ever noticed that the Winter is always colder by the water? Well, shoot! Today was COLD! But we walked the mile or so to Annapolis for brunch anyway. (I'm going to note here that I don't live a mile from Annapolis, but some friends do!)

My favorite hat shop was having a big winter sale, and I was able to get the hat I was eyeing a month ago at 50% off, $5 less than last month's sale price. WooHoo! Like I need another hat....

That's about all that can be said for today. We came home, took a nap, watched a movie, and are now going to bed hoping the Bears kick some Non-Baltimore Colt bum!

See, I don't care a lick about American Football. But I went to college in Baltimore, I want the Bears to win on principal! Everyone knows the Colts belong in Baltimore. They need to lose and give us back our name!

There, that's my piece. I've said it. Good night.

Food and Hats

Today was our monthly brunch in Annapolis. The weather was nice (not as nice as yesterday). It was just my mom, our friend Fox, and myself today. Dad went to a party last night and didn't come home.

We hate when he does that. It's different if he went somewhere and told us he may or may not stay the night or something. My dad is often very inconsiderate of us. It's hard to not be angry when it happens. When you live with other people, you have a responsibility to let them know your plans. How would we ever know if something was wrong if he doesn't tell us what he's doing?

Anyway. No one else made it to brunch, but we had a lovely time. And I bought a new hat! It's an Irish walking hat, made of patchwork wool tweed in County Donegal (where my mother's side of the family is from). Now I'm all ready for a trip to Ireland! Someday!

Breakfast Time

Our monthly brunch with the RenFaire group was today. It was cold, and I didn't wear enough coat, but our friends live about a mile out of Annapolis, so we parked at their place and walked to the city. There's my exercise for the day!

My mom and I were going to buy some hats, but they didn't really have a color that I liked. We'll just have to check back.

It was much colder for our walk back than it was for our walk there. I guess that means it's going to start to feel like December (if anyone wants to know, we've been in the 70's for the past few days).

By the way, I didn't make it to the Luminaria yesterday because of a crippling migraine. They always seem to happen when I want to do something. I'll just have to post last year's pictures.

Brunch and 'Yak

So was the plan, and so we did.

First, I walked about a mile and a half or so with my parents to meet our group for brunch. Then I walked back that mile and half or so. Then we drove to the park and put the kayaks in the water, it was either 1300 or 1400, I don't really remember! We were out for about two or three hours, went along some of the back creeks and down Ego Alley and back. It was a great day to be out. The water was a little chilly and the sun was bright and the sailboats were everywhere, but other than that, it was perfect! We didn't even have time to wash the kayaks like we usually do. It's all about washing us and getting to bed!

Last Time!

Today was the last RenFaireGroup Brunch in Annapolis until the Festival starts and ends again. My dad and I and our friend went to all 10 brunches, and we call the plan a success. Every year, our circle of RenFaire friends says we're going to keep in touch in the off-season, and every year we fail. I think we very much did not fail this year! This time next month, we'll all be at Faire again! Yippie!

We took the boat tour to three Chesapeake Bay lighthouses, Thomas Point Shoal, Sandy Point Shoal, and Baltimore. If you know me, you know I love lighthouses! And you can only get really close to these by boat. It was very nice. I hope to have an album up on my website soon.

A friend of mine unexpectedly and in a way I could not avoid told me one of the things that happens at the end of HP 6. Thankfully, there's only one book left, but when that comes out, I'm not speaking to a soul until I'm done reading it! *grumble*

One More Time!

Yesterday was the second to last RenFaireGroup Brunch. There will be one on the first Sunday in August, and then we'll see everyone for the joyous 9 weeks of the Maryland Renaissance Festival! HooRah!

We rode the Harbour Queen around the River after brunch too. It was a very nice way to spend the afternoon. They have a 2.5 hour lighthouse cruise that I would really like to do. I don't know if we'll be able to next month or not.

It is nice to know (and particularly for my friend who had this idea) that our monthy brunches were a success. It became something I looked forward to doing and I think, even though I'll be at Faire, I'll miss it until November when we start up again. (Much like Faire, that we miss from November to August!)

Happy Independence Day! We're hitting the water!

Day of Mishaps!

I love the first Sunday of the month. It's the day that our little circle of friends from the Renaissance Festival decided to get together at the same place in Annapolis at 1200 for brunch and off-season catching up. We say it every year that we're going to do *something* in the off-season, and we never do. This year it was a reality! I know it is a day that many of us look forward to.

My friend, who keeps my kayak and his two on the rack at his apartment complex, asked my dad to bring his kayak so we could go out after brunch, because we have enough kayaks for the 5 of us (two of them on a tandem, and then one each for my parents and I). This is a fine idea, except we can't seem to work out how to get dad's kayak, which lives at home, up to Back Creek (it won't fit on top of the car in the parking garage, you see). To complicate things more, my dad was officiating a soccer game at 1030 that morning.

We decided dad would take his kayak to the game, then bring it to my friend's apartment, then they would drive to brunch together. So the group would know we were coming, my mother and I would pick up my friend's wife while he waited for dad. Sounds good, right?

Mom and I didn't leave quite early enough to pick up our friend and get to brunch at 1200, so we were a little late. As it turns out, no one was there! We're wondering if the excitement of off-season meeting has worn off for the rest of them. If we had known no one would be there, we would have started our day earlier (for more water time). Of course, my dad and our friend arrived not long after we did. It was a wonderful brunch.

Now, the real fun part! We're suiting up to get on the water. My friend forgot she had an adverse reaction to the sunscreen if she put it on her face. Yup, she put it on her face! My dad was getting his kayak off the car, and I went down to fix a bungee on mine (I didn't tell you that I broke it last week!), while my friend washed off the old sunscreen and put on a different kind. You're right, that wasn't a good move either.

Her husband came down to the water and unlocked one kayak so we could get it ready. He dropped his keys in the grass and picked them back up before returning to the apartment. (she was now putting aloe on her face, and that wasn't helping!) My parents and I got our kayaks put in when they approached. And that's when my friend noticed he didn't have the lock key! We searched all over the area, but found no key. Back to the apartment he goes to get the spare. And we're finally heading up the creek! Yahoo!

And as a final point, my poor friend fell in as she was situating herself to get back in the kayak and go solo for a bit. But then we went to the pool and had a VERY late dinner and all was well! (Nope, not in bed by 2100, not even home by then!)