Saturday, December 27, 2014
With Neil Bason staying at my place for the holidays, it worked out that he drove me to the airport bright and early at 5 a.m. I found a better price for my rental car before I boarded my plane, through EZ Rent-a-Car, which ended up being a breeze when I arrived at the Seattle Rental Car facility (an awesome facility, btw!). I was given a grandpa car, i.e., a white Impala that felt like a very long boat on the road. It was fine and had all kinds of buttons and automatic switches inside, so I enjoyed it. Traffic was light on the way to Gwen's. I arrived at her house around 10:30, hung out for an hour or so with her and Mathew, catching up, hearing all about their low-key, enjoyable Christmas, before Nicole arrived around 11:45. Nicole and I went out to lunch at Purple in Woodinville, the same place we went last year for lunch. I'd written a positive comment for them and they sent me a $35 gift card, which was nice! I like Purple. The atmosphere is perfect for an engaging conversation. Nicole and I talked for two hours over three kinds of cheese and cracker strips, sparkling water, fig and goat cheese pizza and purple chopped salad. All so delicious. Nicole told me about her great new job, her waitressing exploits and how tired she was of the food industry. She's doing very well and simply thriving. I love it! We headed back to Gwen's, where I hung out with Gwen, Greg and Mathew for an hour before heading out to Neal and Karin's for the evening. This was the only night I was able to hang out with my B'ham gang and Susan & Jay, Kathryn & Tom, and Ron & Jeni all showed up, along with Maddie, Julian, Ryan and Kara. Gwen & Greg, Mathew and Nicole arrived later, so the place was hopping with lots of great food, conversation, and some great stories. Jay and I got to bond over Fabio Biondi, a virtuoso Italian baroque violinist who has the ability to channel Vivaldi, interpreting his music in the most original and creative manner. We played a rousing game of Cards Against Humanity, in which Susan & Jay's kids Maddie and Julian stole the show, especially Julian! I love how the next generation of gang participants fit in so well with our warped sensibilities and crazy wicked humor. When Gwen's family and Susan's family, things suddenly got very serioues when the hardcore gamers (me, Neal & Karin, Ron & Jeni) played a couple games of Pandemic until 2:30. What a great game. I don't remember if we beat the game or not, but we sure had fun doing it.
After Ron & Jeni left, Ryan and Kara were ready to play bridge, so we shuffled the cards and played until 5. Sick! Neal & Ryan beat me and Kara in the rubber rubber. So much fun but man I was dead tired. I slept in the family room where there was a cot waiting for me. Great night!
With Neil Bason staying at my place for the holidays, it worked out that he drove me to the airport bright and early at 5 a.m. I found a better price for my rental car before I boarded my plane, through EZ Rent-a-Car, which ended up being a breeze when I arrived at the Seattle Rental Car facility (an awesome facility, btw!). I was given a grandpa car, i.e., a white Impala that felt like a very long boat on the road. It was fine and had all kinds of buttons and automatic switches inside, so I enjoyed it. Traffic was light on the way to Gwen's. I arrived at her house around 10:30, hung out for an hour or so with her and Mathew, catching up, hearing all about their low-key, enjoyable Christmas, before Nicole arrived around 11:45. Nicole and I went out to lunch at Purple in Woodinville, the same place we went last year for lunch. I'd written a positive comment for them and they sent me a $35 gift card, which was nice! I like Purple. The atmosphere is perfect for an engaging conversation. Nicole and I talked for two hours over three kinds of cheese and cracker strips, sparkling water, fig and goat cheese pizza and purple chopped salad. All so delicious. Nicole told me about her great new job, her waitressing exploits and how tired she was of the food industry. She's doing very well and simply thriving. I love it! We headed back to Gwen's, where I hung out with Gwen, Greg and Mathew for an hour before heading out to Neal and Karin's for the evening. This was the only night I was able to hang out with my B'ham gang and Susan & Jay, Kathryn & Tom, and Ron & Jeni all showed up, along with Maddie, Julian, Ryan and Kara. Gwen & Greg, Mathew and Nicole arrived later, so the place was hopping with lots of great food, conversation, and some great stories. Jay and I got to bond over Fabio Biondi, a virtuoso Italian baroque violinist who has the ability to channel Vivaldi, interpreting his music in the most original and creative manner. We played a rousing game of Cards Against Humanity, in which Susan & Jay's kids Maddie and Julian stole the show, especially Julian! I love how the next generation of gang participants fit in so well with our warped sensibilities and crazy wicked humor. When Gwen's family and Susan's family, things suddenly got very serioues when the hardcore gamers (me, Neal & Karin, Ron & Jeni) played a couple games of Pandemic until 2:30. What a great game. I don't remember if we beat the game or not, but we sure had fun doing it.
After Ron & Jeni left, Ryan and Kara were ready to play bridge, so we shuffled the cards and played until 5. Sick! Neal & Ryan beat me and Kara in the rubber rubber. So much fun but man I was dead tired. I slept in the family room where there was a cot waiting for me. Great night!
No comments:
Post a Comment