bash

Birthday Boy treated the gang to Don Henrico's where we gorged ourselves silly on Buffalo-style chicken, three-cheese pizza, pesto pasta and bottomless drinks all around (plus invisible pork ribs - because they never arrived...grrr). Marco always has a great spread and that was no exception - thanks, bud!

Then it was off to Camille's coffee despedida at SBC. This was the best in the city since it had an air-conditioned smoking area, bless 'em:

DEAN (to Dino): You may want to sit over there, so all the smokers can sit together.

DINO: But it doesn't matter! We'll inhale all the second-hand smoke anyway!

DEAN: Ah, the things you suffer for my company.

And that is one of the things about friendship - you put up with someone else's shit, but hang out anyway because life is short and art is fun (tip of the proverbial hat to John Irving's World According to Garp for you philistines out there).

More talk about all sorts of things, including plans for the future and how money makes the world go round (and how, of course, everyone could do with a lot more).

Dino and I, particularly, had a field day waxing teary-eyed, remembering the days when we had a greater degree of money (I was abroad and he had the truck dealership). We'd even fight over who would pay for dinner, and if defeated, would devise devious ways in which to get back over the victor's generosity. Sigh.

No one is desperately unhappy, since the people around the table know how to live within their means. But still. It would be nice to be able to say "Hey guys, dinner in Singapore tomorrow?". Sigh.

But man, that place was cold. Few of us had the foresight to bring jackets or sweaters (and my sexy wife was wearing a sheer thing that made it hard for me to focus) since the erratic weather makes fools of everyone. Good thing I opted for hot green tea.

Some of us then headed off for some singing, ending just before predawn as mysterious circumstances robbed Vin and Buddha of their capacity to hear the right notes (invoking visions of Randy Jackson saying "Dawg, I dunno, it just didn't connect. And you were pitchy, all over the place). But that didn't stop us from having a great time anyway. Besides, I'd rather have beer come out of my nose while I laugh hysterically over pitchiness rather than hear another pitch-perfect yet bland performance.

stash

At last! More trades to read, DVDs to watch, and music to listen to:

Box Office Poison (Alex Robinson) - 600+ pages of indie grafiction
The Walking Dead (Robert Kirkman) - because zombies are always cool
Sleeper (Ed Brubaker) - perhaps the most interesting comic of the year
The Nail (Alan Davis) - fun read, great art
Gotham City Central (Ed Brukarer and Greg Rucka) - these two writers have a certain noir flair that challenges the predictable plot patterns of comics
Taken DVD Box set - the original thing is always preferable to pirate knock-offs
American Idol 3: Greatest Soul Classics - man, you should hear Camille Velasco and Jennifer Hudson on this collection. I couldn't help wish though that Fantasia Barrino selected "Something To Talk About" instead of "Chain of Fools".

rehash

Speaking of which, I got to watch the 1st season of American Idol and came away quite impressed with the general skill level (and almost everyone was attractive - Ryan (fully front-loaded) and Nikki (who is the living incarnation of Van Meter's Hopeless-Savages). Like Simon Cowell, I had a crush on Christina Christianson (which, if I think really about, probably is a throwback to my thing for Sade waaaay back).

And so it's finally off to the salt mines, with the task list I need to complete for my continued well-being.

It looks like a long week ahead, and so it makes sense to get some things out of the way before I become a swamped thing.