A few days here and there

A couple days of catch up to do.

Thursday, I believe, started with a run at the usual time.  Something like five miles.  Rockin'.  The other major event of the day was Julia's opening/reception thingy at CCTV for the show she has there, Can't Be Shy Here.  She has nine pieces up in this corner space in the building with two glass walls looking out onto the street.  Awesome.

We met up in Central around 6:30 PM or so to get some supplies together (i.e., Red Stripe, PBR and snacks), in preparation for peoples' arrival around 7:00 PM.  Over the course of the next couple hours, a whole bunch of people swung by, stayed for a while, chatted, examined the delightful things up on the walls, and chilled out.  A good time, I think, was had by all.  Afterward, we swung by The Field (across the street) for a bit for some conversation.

Friday morning I wasn't feeling particularly great (or rather, I didn't sleep very well during the night, either), and called in sick to work for a few hours so I could get myself together.  It would have been rough if I'd tried to make it in earlier - as it was I was feeling a bit off most of the afternoon.  I eventually checked out around 6:00 PM or so, as I recall.

Upon getting home, I spent some time cleaning and organizing.  I got all my CDs back in their proper cases (sometimes they tend to get mixed up if you're switching CDs in the car frequently whilst trying not to drive off the road).  Things were looking pretty spiffy, I think.

In the evening, around 8:30 PM or so, Julia and I got together and watched Chariots of Fire, which I'd never seen.  Great movie!  We also ordered Vietnamese food from Le's, which was also great in its own, food-like way.  Vegetarian Pho and some sorta tofu/cabbage salad stuff, along with some fresh summer rolls.  I love vegetables.

Today started, ultimately, around 11:30 AM for me, though I'd been sending and receiving text messages for hours beforehand, and also woke up at 4:30 or so to see Julia off for the day on her trip out west.  These Mt. Holyoke people - early travelers.

At 2:00 PM or so, Eric (roommate) and I met Jason and Katherine at the Deluxe Towne Diner for a late-ish lunch/breakfast.  I had a Deluxe Colossal Hungry Person Special.  Again.  Oh man.  Delicious.

After getting back from the DTD, I gathered myself up with what I'd need for Sunday, and went down to Harvard Sq. to get my brother a birthday gift.  It was apparently like... record store appreciation day?  Or something?  Newbury Comics had live music.  Around 4:45 PM or so, I got a call from Chris saying that they'd made it to Adam and Lizzie's in Arlington, so I took the train back to Porter and then hopped on the 77 bus.

You see, the plan for the weekend, which I've thus far failed to convey, involved a lovely birthday party for Adam tonight - in Arlington - and another party tomorrow for Chris - in New Haven.  Thus, I resolved to bus it out to Arlington for tonight's shin dig, and then hitch a ride with Chris and Aleksandra back to New Haven' for Sunday's thaaang.  Thus, this is how I now write to you whilst lying on their couch-a-foldy-bed-thing.

But, anyway, around 8:30 PM or so, we hopped in the mini van and drove back to New Haven.  We got here around 11:30, I think.  And now, I'm over due for some sleepage.

The next blue line train to WONDERLAND is now arriving

Children are exhausting.  A pair of four year old twins are downright comatosing.  It's a word, now - for reals.

The day began promptly at At Least An Hour Before I Usually Wake Up AM.  In laymen's terms, probably around 6:30 AM.  I don't even know if I have words for all this.  A great deal of time was spent running into and out of the tent in my room, zipping it up, unzipping it, trying to get in while it was zipped, trying to keep the Monster out (Daddy), running in and out, squealing, rolling around in blankets, and making Uncle David nervous about someone catching their hair in a zipper.

Then we got dressed and went to breakfast.

The Deluxe Town Diner was everything I recalled it being - I had pancakes and coffee, Chris had an omelet, the boys had bagels and juice.  We had to go back to the house once, prior to sitting down, to fetch the bag of kid-supplies, including emergency food-allergy medicine that we forgot at home.  Oops.  

Following breakfast, we came back to my place again and the boys immediately stripped down to their underwear and continued their earlier game.  We were planning on going to the aquarium.  

An hour or so later, after the boys and I had a parade through the apartment (Lucas, I think, ringing a bell the whole way, me playing guitar, and Nathan, I think, just dancing along), we finally got our act together, walked to the T in Porter, and took the Red, Green, and Blue lines to Aquarium.  Nathan was apprehensive about the trains, even while he loved them.  They are, after all, huge and loud.  

At the aquarium we spent a bunch of time looking at penguins, had lunch in the cafe (during which the boys ate none of their pizza), and then returned to walk around the giant ocean tank for a while.  Eventually, around 3:30, we left, and took the T back to my place.

My brother and I, upon arriving, promptly dozed on the couch while games-in-the-tent continued.

Dinner consisted of a trip to Christopher's, which turned out pretty well.  Except we forgot the supply bag again, this time just in the car.  I had some blackened cajun tofu - Chris had a veggie burger, the boys had grilled cheese and pizza.  And juice/milk.

Following that, we went home, and the boys promptly, promptly fell asleep at 7:30 PM.  Not a peep from them after that.  They were absolutely exhausted by the time we were leaving Christopher's, to the point where they could barely stand up.

And that, laddies and gentlewomen, is how you tire out some kids (and adults).

After they went to bed, Chris and I lay on the couches for 15 minutes staring at the ceiling, then watched Thank You For Smoking.  I'm not really sure what to think of that movie - the message was kinda confusing to me.  Well, at least, in my current state.  I'm not really sure what the takeaway was outside of, "Yeah, cigarettes are bad."  If that was it, the story was a very strange vehicle for it.