September 2006

Six years ago tonight, our friends Holly & Ed got married in a lovely wedding that we attended. Tonight, a group of us — most of whom were at the wedding six years ago — met to celebrate their anniversary with Holly, Ed, and their two children Piper & Colin.

Ted, Ron, Tracy, Ken, Dave, Robin, Jay, Debbie, and I met at Jimmy’s BBQ in Hartwell only to discover that it closed for business — yesterday! Quickly coming up with new plans, we ended up at Jim Dandy’s BBQ on Sharon Road, closer to my house, for delicious smokey BBQ, pulled pork, and side items like collard greens in vinegar (yum), macaroni and cheese, and corn bread. Everything was very good, and their sauces were tasty, too. We had a nice time talking and being together, though Wendy didn’t go because I think she’s got the same crud that made me feel like crap on toast last week.

Happy Anniversary Holly & Ed!

Tonight, we went to a nice dinner at the Iron Horse Inn with Paul & Julie.

Paul is leaving Cincinnati in a few days to start a new job in Indiana. He’s very excited about it, as he should be, but also a bit sad about leaving town. I’m sad about it too — this will be the first time that Paul hasn’t lived in the same state, city, or house with me since I’ve known him — somewhere around 15 years. Probably longer. So, we went out to be together, the four of us, in these final hours of same-city-ness.

Dinner at The Horse was very nice — I had Lobster Bisque and Stuffed Risotto and some Raspberry Sorbet for dessert.

Despite feeling like crap on toast the whole day, I made it out to King’s Mazda to get my oil changed after work. Once that was done (and my tires rotated and balanced, and my car’s oil filter changed — all the indicated work for a car at 15,000 miles), I stopped by IRON CHEF GRILL, an Asian restaurant, where I had dinner at the sushi bar.

I enjoyed a couple nigiri — fresh salmon and warm, toasty eel, along with soup, salad, and some Yaki Soba. I then came home and promptly fell asleep on the couch, where I stayed until Wendy got home from rehearsal.

I was really feeling like crap tonight, so I laid low and stayed home. Wendy had rehearsal for ROCKY HORROR SHOW at Falcon Theater. Some of you have asked when it runs — the performances begin October 20 and run for three weekends, with midnight shows the first two Saturdays.

We had dinner together before Wendy had to leave for rehearsal. She ate cereal, I had ravioli, and later I went out to grab a Frosty to soothe my throat.

This evening, I went to a Wine Dinner hosted by a local wine store at Rondo’s Restaurant in Western Hills. Wendy had a beauty treatment after work, so it was just Ted, Tracy, and me.

We sat at a communal table with Bob, Phyllis, Lenore, and Charlie (hi gang!) and enjoyed six or seven different wines and a four-course meal including salmon skewers, roasted duck breast, and pot roast. Being insatiable, our table also ordered dessert from Rondo’s menu. I enjoyed my fresh fruit Sabayon very much and liked that it was presented on a plate instead of in a glass, and Ted & Tracy made quick work out of the “Black Magic” cake.

Despite not feeling well (I think I’ve caught an early-fall cold or something), I’m happy to have gone! Thanks for inviting me along, Tracy.

A very simple dinner this evening, especially in light of our most recent meals (especially Saturday’s dinner). Since Wendy has rehearsal for THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW at Falcon Theater tonight, I stopped on the way home at a Chinese restaurant and got some steamed dumplings and fried rice and sat in front of the television and ate it.

Now, I don’t want you to think that I’m wasting the evening — far from it. I’m doing laundry, have already worked out today, and am working on three (count ‘em three) small projects (doing bugsquarshing for a Linux-based backup tool, returning a bunch of long-overdue phone calls, and working on the website) this evening. So, it’s productivity in a quiet way, but when these items fall off my to-do list, it will feel very good.