I Miss "Star Trek: The Next Generation"

I miss Captain Picard, Data, and all those crazy guys from Star Trek: TNG.

I will always have a fond memory of seeing Jean-Luc Picard in real life (actor Patrick Stewart), performing at the Guthrie. I went to see a production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolfe? with Geb and her folks. They had season tickets, and we sat in the second row, stage left.

There was Patrick Stewart in all his bald glory. The fight scenes got so intense he was spitting as he shouted at Mercedes Ruehl, playing Virginia.

And I swear a little Picard spittle landed on my cheek at one point. Delicious.

Oh, if only I could hear him say, just one more time, "Make it so." It would make my day.

Not Much to Report

Hi all,

Not much to report here. I had my annual review for FamilyMeans last week - it went well. I still have a job, and I got a raise. Cool.

Other than that, not too much happening. Next week, my friend Kelly is coming over to build me a little storage loft in my garage. Kelly teaches shop up in Forest Lake, and he's awfully handy - so I'm hiring him for his "services". Yep, he's going to service me. Sweet.

I have an eye doctor appointment coming up. I hate it, but not as much as I hate the dentist. So I'll go, they'll dilate my eyes with that weird yellow crap, and I'll drive semi-blindly home. Good times. But if my vision is stable, I'm up for lasik this fall - hope it works out!!

Going to see the Twins next week with Erin, Joy & Phil. Then heading up north the weekend of the 20th for the marathon & my niece Livia's birthday - rock on.

OK, that's it. Seriously. I told you...not much to report.

Why My Friends Kick Butt

I know most everyone has friends. This is true, except for that poor miscreant who never learned any social skills and thus spends his/her day in solitary misery. But that's for another time. While I accept that most everyone has friends, I don't think most people have the caliber of friends that I have. And damn, they really do kick butt! Here, I pay homage to the extra super special ones who are closest to my heart; to write about every single friend would take more space than I can reasonably account for!

Let's see, where to start? Well, first there's "The Girls". Known throughout the land by their collective identity, "The Girls" have been going strong for well over 10 years now. We've seen so much, been through it all together, and continue to share in each other's joys, sorrows, and all things in between. I liken "The Girls" to the characters of Sex and the City; we just fit. I don't know who's who in that comparison, but sufficed to say that we are indominatable when en masse; even the husbands know to take a step back when in the presence of "The Girls".

Then there's Cindy. Now, I know, technically she's family, but seriously, she's been my friend and quasi-sister more than just my cousin for my entire life. We used to exchange letters when we were growing up, and I spent part of every summer down at her parents' house. We hit up New Orleans together and survived! She honored me by asking me to be her maid of honor, and continues to amaze me with her grace and strength after losing her husband so early in life. We have had many excursions up north over the years, to visit grandparents, stay at the cabin, and hike in the woods; I expect we'll continue our travels together throughout life.

Joy. Her name just says it all, right? Joy and I met in college; grad school, mainly. Joy is amazing. She has such a good heart and trusting nature, and is always looking out for what others need and how others feel. She seeks to make others comfortable and happy, and really strives to be a good daughter, sister, wife, friend, and teacher. Joy & I spent a lot of quality time together during our first years of teaching...that very first year, I think we met at Jake's Bar & Grill at least once a week for wings, beer, & bitching (about students, teaching, colleagues... whatever!). She's the person I call when I have to tell someone about this thing that happened, or to bounce ideas off of, or to just hear a voice on the other end that makes me smile. I'm also her marathon groupie; she runs, I cheer...then we drink.

There's Heather, my homey up in Forest Lake. Heather is another special person; she keeps me grounded, and if I get off on the wrong path of thinking, she'll smack me back to reality. Truly, it's a good thing to have a person in your life who puts up with no B.S. and calls you out when it's needed. Heather embraces everything life has to offer, and doesn't waste time on regrets and "what-if's". She works hard, plays hard, and just generally rocks. Heather knows who she is and what she wants, and makes no apologies for either. It's f*cking awesome. Oh, and she can drink pretty much anyone I know under a table. She's done it to me countless times, and to most every guy who's ever been dumb enough to challenge her!

And last, there's Jessica. I know; again, she's family, but really and truly, before we were sisters-in-law, we were friends. I feel so lucky to have her in my life! I joke that of all the people in our high school class who I might have kept in touch with, Jess is probably the one. The fact that she's married to my brother makes that pretty d*mn easy! But seriously, Jess is and always has been the sweetest person in the world. It's hard to enumerate every little thing that shows her kindness, but here's a biggie: When we were juniors in high school, Jess was dating my brother Brian, and they were going to prom together. Despite having a dress and having been a planner for prom, I had no date. So, I asked if my brother would walk me through grand march. And then I asked myself along to dinner with him, Jess, Andrea, & Lee (still friends of ours). Jess never once complained - can you imagine? Your date's little sister tagging along to prom? I have the grace to be embarrassed now - what was I thinking!? - but at the time, I was included and welcomed. That's the kind of person Jess was at 17 years old, and still is today.

OK, that's seven; I think I should stop there! But really, people, how did I get so lucky to have these amazing women in my life? I am thankful every day to have all of them in my life, and know that I am one lucky b*tch.

Mother's Day

So I hauled buns up to Duluth a few Saturday's ago to dine with la familia for Mother's Day. I know, Mom's Day is on Sunday. But Bob's nephew had a college graduation and stuff on Sunday, so we had to book time with Ma on a Saturday instead. Anyway, we headed to Outback for dinner, and I got some nice pics of the fam.

Nathan displayed his usual charm,

Brian and I had a few cocktails by the time we did our self-portrait,

and mom was just happy to be with all her little chitlins (read: children).

Good times, and man, that Outback knows how to make a Bloomin' Onion. Delicious!

Weekend

Thank God for the upcoming, long weekend. I don't have to work at either job on Monday! Hallelujiah!! Other than that, I don't have any real plans...not going anywhere, no big events to attend. Just a little work at the bank, and then chillin'. Sweet.

5 shifts to go at TCF...not that I'm counting or anything.

I start at Pier One on 6/1/08. Good times, looking forward to a change of pace.

The Keys to the Kingdom

Whoa. You ever do something so monumentally dumb that even you can believe you did it? Yep, that's how I started my day.

I woke up late this morning after egregiously hitting my snooze button over and over again (on not only my dual-alarm clock, but my tri-alarm phone). Tells you a little about how sleep-deprived I am with my usual 65-hour work week, huh?

Anyway, in racing to get out the door, I couldn't find my keys. My main set of keys, you know, the one that has not only my car and house keys, but the only set of office keys I have, as well as my key to the bank vault. You know, those really important ones?

I always leave them with or in my purse. Always. Couldn't find them, looked all over. Finally decided I must have left them in the car; where else could they be? I couldn't have left them at the bank, as I need them to actually lock the vault. So I know they aren't there...must be in the car.

Resolved to this, I flung open the door while simultaneously barricading Pudder from escape. I heard a strange tinkling noise.

There, hanging in the door, are my keys. I unlocked my door yesterday, got distracted when Pudder ran out, and apparently went in with the keys left hanging in the door. All. Night. Long.

Good think I live in a nice neighborhood. Oh, and that I have an attack cat as backup, just in case.

007-Tampa

Yeah girls!! 75% of The Girls got to whoop it up in Tampa in honor of Natalie successfully defending her dissertation. Now a Doctorate of Philosophy in Physics (PhD), she is really a rocket scientist...holy crap, I have smart friends!!

Geb & I flew down to Tampa 007-style. That is, Nat didn't know we were coming. Nat's hubby Dean and Nat's parents were in on it, but everyone kept the cat in the bag. We went to this Thai restaurant, sat and waited for the arrival. Upon walking in, we could tell it was taking Nat a minute to put it together. (You know when you see someone out of their usual context, it's like, "Huh?"...kind of that deal!) I think when we took this picture, there was still some shock/ disbelief going on. Or, the beers were starting to do their thing...

We partied well into the evening, going to Nat & Dean's favorite local haunt, The Copper Top. I love those kinds of places - always good beer, loads of local color, and seedy bathrooms. It felt just like home!

And the next day headed out to Clearwater Beach for some relaxation, recovery, and reminiscing. It was an awesome day overall; beautiful weather, hot boys (way too young for us, but whatever), good food, and plenty of ocean breezes. Loved it!