I have enough empty wine bottles on my desk to make me look like a lush or a starving artist — or, wait, what’s the contradiction there?
But I’m neither (a little starving wouldn’t hurt, mind you, and I’d love to be an artist … really), but I do have empty bottles left over from the cast party that I never got around to trashing … er, recycling.
Last night I stopped by Trader Joe’s before Kim’s PhD party and picked up two bottles of Charles Shaw because … well, because it was there and I wanted to see whether it was drinkable. And $2.99 + tax is an affordable possible mistake. It wasn’t a mistake, though; though clearly we’re not talking about “good” or “great” wine here, but the shiraz breathes and develops well. Part of me would like to be wealthy enough to be a wine snob, but I dislike snobbishness in all its forms such that I wouldn’t actually want to be a snob … oh, so it goes.
This morning I traveled to Woodman’s to pick up some brats for a party in the afternoon, get some wine for me to drink (my Giant 47 Pound Rooster standby, another bottle of the malbec (Trapiche … also cheap), and something else that is still in the bag and I can’t recall what it is.
The party was a baby shower for Sara James, and shortly before 1 I left my place and began the about 30 minute walk, first down Jenifer to Baldwin, then down to East Wash, and left on 1st and right on Dayton. A gorgeous day. I arrived and a few (Adrienne, Elliott and Charlie, Helena and Daniel, Ben) were already there, and Andrea and Helmar showed up briefly thereafter. Karen and her two guests (James and Sean) didn’t take long to arrive, either. Daniel manned the grill, pumping out brats and burgers until we’d had our fill. There was a great potato salad, a very good pasta salad, and when Yolanda arrived she brought this steam broccoli dish in vinegar and with sun-dried tomatoes, I believe. Delicious. Kris and Bre came and there was good conversation, and they came with Bethany, who was evidently here last year, but I never met her until now. After opening presents inside some time later a number of folks left, and those of us remaining went outside for “Happy Hour.”
Matt had made it back from Chicago and we gathered, chatted, etc. And then many of the rest left because it was 7pm or later and they were hungry. Then Elliott departed, the remaining women got Chinese takeout, and so eventually it was me and Matt and Charlie and/or Daniel outside … a rotating group. Rose stayed out with us, Matt brought out his laptop, and we had to go for YouTube.
To YouTube … like to google … a new verb in the English language.
There was “Apache,” a song by “The Darkness,” we had to have Dschingis Khan doing “Moskau,” and I had to show them Laibach. Plus we had “Tony vs. Paul” and the treadmill piece by Ok Go … YouTube them see what I mean.
Eventually it began to rain a bit, and Daniel and Helena gave me and Rose rides home.
My second baby shower and by far the better of the two. Sunday: brunch writing.
And listening? Ick … Starlite Orchestra and Choir performing icky Andre Lloyd Webber tunes. But I decided to listen to everything. I don’t even know where I got this … I think it might have come from my house/dog-sitting stint in 2004 at Dave and Kaela’s place, but I like to think that they have better taste than this. Hell, I like to think that I have better taste than this.
Movies? Descent is still sitting around and tempting me. Would go well with the Two (Three) Buck Chuck!
