This is absurd.
It hasn't rained
once since McKenzie left. I was out to dinner with several people on Wednesday night, and the number one topic of conversation was that this is shaping up to be the first 'proper' summer in years. And Kenz is missing the entire thing. It's supposed to be sunny for the rest of the month. Kenz'll return on the 31st. I fully expect the rain to start on August 1st. That's her luck in a nutshell.
****
I did wind up getting 'out' this weekend. Our little friend, Hunter, had his second birthday party on Sunday:
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| Jim saw me walking from the train station. I lucked out in getting a ride; he lucked out in getting me to hold the 'jelly'. |
The birthday party was at the same venue as last year, however
this year there was a magician with a 'disco'!
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| Hunter and Mr. Marvel prepping. |
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| Hunter was pretty stoked to have bubbles. |
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| So was I. (note to self: invest in bubble machine for all future entertainment engagements) |
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| The differences between a one year-old's bday party and a two year-old's are staggering; a table, for example. |
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| I got there on time (apparently that's early when you have kids - everyone else showed up at about 3pm to a 2pm party) |
Mr. Marvel had 'magic' bubbles that stuck to whatever they fell on.
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| Hunter wasn't really paying attention enough to understand the concept. Granted, he's two and was more interested in dancing. |
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| But I was paying attention! |
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| MAGIC! |
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| Hunter got them in his hair. |
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| Hunter watched the first half of the show from his new car. |
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| Yes, there were puppets. Yes, it was awesome. |
I felt for Mr. Marvel. Corralling a group of ten or so children, ages one to six, can't be an easy task. Trying to put on a magic show on
top of that and you've got your work cut out for you. Credit to him, though. Once he got them warmed up, most of the kids were tuned in.
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| Once all the guests had arrived, I hung behind the counter with Jim, thinking that I'd otherwise be seen as 'that creepy guy who came to a two year-old's party by himself'. |
That evening, you know,
since I was out, I met up with some cousins of mine who happened to be in town on vacation (jokes).
Sarah and I had been emailing about their visit for a while. Despite my claims that
no one comes down to our neighborhood while on vacation, she said they took a 'family vote' and had decided to come see what it was like to live in SE5. They also wanted to eat at our fav neighborhood restaurant.
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| The vacationers! (L to R: Shelby, Joe, Sarah, and MacKenzie) |
We hung out for upwards of three hours. I probably talked for two and a half of those hours, inundating them with verbal diarrhea, considering the fact that I've been living in relative isolation. Hanging out with family during this no-McKenzie month was like visiting a desert oasis. They filled me in on all their plans, checked out the crib, and had all sorts of fun questions about local stuff.
I took them to La Luna. We all had pizza. Being so caught up in having visitors, I forgot to take more than two pictures. Figures.
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| Shelby didn't realize she'd ordered a spicy pizza and wound up eating the surrounding crust. |
All in all, quite a successful weekend. The rest of the week was business as usual:
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| Catching up with friends. |
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| Catching up with friends' cats. |
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| Erratic, so-hot-it's-very-nearly-hallucinogenic, sleep. |
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| Scrambling to get my phone out to snap pictures that would be otherwise indescribable |
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| Marveling at the weather |
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| Saying 'hi' to the father-in-law. |
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| Saying 'hi' to the sis. |
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| Eating dates that remind me of Tunisia |
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| Solo sunset walks in the park. |
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| Stealing McKenzie's special Tempur-Pedic pillow (for good this time). |
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| Watching the world fall apart around me. |
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| Aaand catching McKenzie in compromising food situations. |
Thursday was Owen's birthday. Celia's taking him to see one of his favorite bands, The Smashing Pumpkins. Here's hoping they don't play hide and seek with the hits. Happy birthday, Owen.
It's so damn hot here that I've taken to working (at home) shirtless. There's no AC and we don't have any fans. I've kept telling myself a fan isn't a justifiable expense because 'who knows when the weather is going to turn', but now it's been several weeks of 75-80 degree days. Of course, it wouldn't be too bad if all the buildings weren't brick, which results in them absorbing the heat all day. Even if I had a fan, there wouldn't be any cool air to blow. I'd just be getting pelted with waves of fanned air, reminding me that it's hot outside.
So, here I stand, in front of the computer, listening to questionable music, with my windows open,
shirtless. Like a character from some forgotten, esoteric cartoon show that no one watched in the first place because it was mildly creepy. The neighbors continue to keep their curtains closed...for good reason.
That's it for this week. Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend!
