Before the recap, Happy Birthday to my beautiful fiancee Jen! Today is her birthday. She was born on the same day as John Milton, on whom I wrote my thesis. She also shares her birthday with Stella’s foster mom, who took care of our first dog before we adopted her.
Busy weekends are always the most fun. They remind me of the motivational dog poster I bought for Jen once upon a time (which has yet to be hung). It shows a tired dog sitting on the beach at sunset. Beneath the dog is this quote:
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Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It is not a day when you lounge around doing nothing. It’s when you’ve had everything to do, and you’ve done it.
Margaret Thatcher
(1925-) English political leader
I really like that quote and think of it often — especially when I live it.
Friday night after picking up Jen and my skis (freshly tuned, mounted with new Look bindings, and ready to tear it up this season!), we headed out for some dinner at a local Chinese food restaurant, where we worked the Marin Express 2-for-1 deal. Then we went to Any Mountain, where I bought a Thule 725 ski rack for 20% off, and to Book Passage, where Jen had a hard time finding a birthday book. The rest of the night was pretty chill.
Saturday I headed to Sacramento to gather up some of mine and Peter’s stuff from Nana’s house, which, after 30 years, has been sold. Although it’s hard to see it go, I know it’s the right thing to do. And it was sold to an artist who knows Eichlers and knew Nana. She liked him. So it’s fitting that he now owns the house. It closes in about a week.
Before heading to the house, though, I met up with James for some brunch. He was good enough to come with me to Nana’s house to help go through everything and load up the Scoob. It would’ve been much harder on my own. The house has felt so empty ever since Nana died. Mandy did an amazing job packing up the mountains of junk in the garage.
After filling my car to the brim with skis, baseball cards, old college papers, and even a binder of all my college acceptance letters, James and I shot back to Elk Grove, where he took me to see this amazing new housing development with 6-bedroom, 5,500-square-foot palatial mansions for at least half a million bucks. Keep in mind this is Elk Grove, a suburb of Sacramento, where half a million is not the norm that it is here in the Bay Area, where half a mill just gets you in the door of a 2-bedroom cottage. I was quite impressed. Of course, in the world of real estate, it’s all about location. And I didn’t like how close together the houses were. If only I could pick up one of those homes and transplant it in San Francisco. Then I’d be set.
Before heading back to the Bay, James took me to this brewery for a pint and some fried pickles. What a concept, eh? They were good.
Saturday night Jen and I hung out in the Haight with Ben, Jess, Karl, James, Enoch, Kat, and a couple friends of Kat (one housemate, Rob the Canadian, and one coworker, Wes the Irishman). We had a really good time — drinking at the Toronado (with at least 50 brews on tap), then playing Taboo at Kat’s place.
On Sunday, the gang (James, Enoch, Ben, Jess) came over for brunch at the Easy Street. Then Ben, Jess, Jen, and I headed to Viansa for some Christmas goodies. Later that night, we watched the Sopranos. My Mom came over, Ben and Jess headed home, then Jen and I had sandwiches, champagne, and chocolate cake that Mom brought over to celebrate Jen’s birthday. And Dad even left a nice birthday surprise for Jen outside the front door (and a winter hat for me — thanks, Dad!).
Phew. And here I am back in the saddle again. Another Monday.
