It’s true that Maribou and I will be getting on a plane early Friday morning to go to the Leaguefest, but if I weren’t, I assure you that I would be running errands like any other weekend this weekend.
A visit to Costco, maybe. A visit to PetSmart for umpteen more bags of litter. A trip to King Soopers to pick up some of their chicken thighs that they’re selling for 2 bucks a pound (oh, my gosh! Why did I never grill these before?!? Was it because all of my recipes called for chicken breasts? I must have been brainwashed…). But we’d probably manage to squeeze a DVD in on Saturday night or a couple episodes of something and spend Sunday recuperating and quietly preparing ourselves for the coming week ahead.
I mean, out of the 7 people I work with on any given day, 5 of them are on vacation next week.
This means that I’ll be the one fielding all sorts of chaos and I won’t even have my various people that I am thinking of when I tell management “I don’t know the answer to that, but I can get the answer to that for you” to run and ask.
But, of course, I am going to Leaguefest this weekend. Which means that I will spend the weekend with dear friends, only a handful that I have seen before, and sit thinking and trying to remember how humans interact in person.
“You there. Would you enjoy eating? If we go somewhere and get different foods, we would have an obvious and non-confrontational conversation topic available to us!”
Luckily, I have Maribou with me to help.
Of course, once we get back, I’ll still have to recover as much as I can for next week… but what’s the worst that could happen?
So… what’s on your docket?
(Image is Tristan and Isolde Drinking the Love Potion by Gautier Map from the Messire Lancelot du Lac. He did most of his stuff in the 12th and 13th century so I figure it’s in the public domain.)
I’ll be in surgery tomorrow, just a minor alteration to make this bloated meatsack slightly more pleasant to live in.
It’s low risk, but I will be under anesthesia, so yeah.Report
As someone who’s had a couple of major surgeries himself, I wish you luck, Veronica. And I hope your recovery goes well.Report
Best wishes for a speedy recovery. And let us know you’re OK.Report
Oooh, bummer. Good luck! Get well soon!Report
Speedy recovery from whatever is ailin’ ya!Report
I’ll be thinking of you, @veronica-d . Hope everything goes ok.Report
Good luck and best wishes!Report
Keep us appraised me dear, it’d be a relief to know all is well.Report
Hope all is well and goes well.Report
Out of surgery. Thank you for your knind thougtReport
Too late to wish you luck, it seems, so I’ll cross my fingers for a speedy recovery and a pain-free back going forward.Report
Ha! It seems as if my spelling abilities were degraded immediately post surgery. But I’m fine. I’m at home now recovering. It was a pretty minor procedure, so I can get up and walk around and stuff, although I’m gonna be stuck in the apartment for a few days. Which, blah. Bored already. I wanna be out, out, out. A cooped up veronica is not a happy veronica. But I can cook for myself, at least. I have some friends coming by to cheer me up. They are pretty. I shall gaze at them longingly.
Anyway, thanks again for the kind words. I hope everyone has a smashing good weekend. For those of you at the “leaguefest” thingy, have fun. Keep in mind, @mike-schilling is secretly a robot sent to spy on us. So like, act super weird around him. It keeps his otherworldly masters confused.Report
So like, act super weird around him.
Is that why you kept going on about non-linear optimization techniques?Report
@mike-schilling — Well in my case the weirdness is not an act (because I too am a robot sent to this world with nefarious motives).Report
Quoting my younger sister, talking about me on a similar subject: “It’s probably a mental illness, but it’s a useful mental illness, so we’re not trying to fix him.”Report
@michael-cain It’s good to know that I am not the only person to have been described that way from time to time (though I suspect the reasons are rather different in my case).Report
“We need the eggs.”Report
Famous last words, JB. 😉
I don’t usually have trouble in social situations, but meeting strangers always takes a little while to become comfortable. Actually, the more I think about it, the more precarious it is. Thanks a lot! As a millennial, I don’t think much of meeting strangers from the Internet. They’re just like any other stranger. But when you point it out…Report
The correct way to interact with strangers:
1. stare at floor
2. Twitch randomly
3. Occasionally emit a “meep.”Report
Chicken thighs are finally getting the credit they are due. And they’re so much cheaper! I’ve almost forsaken chicken breasts completely. My favorite recipe is to give them a heavy dusting of turmeric and then saute them on the stove top in some olive oil. Then I chop them up and serve them with some Alabama White Sauce right off the cutting board.Report
I knew that I needed to cook with them in my slow cooker in order to make the dishes taste better… but this whole “try them grilled” thing hit me and the only thing that made them not delicious was the sour taste from taking *THIS* long to finally try it.
I’m a fan of orange juice, liquid smoke, and olive oil and then sprinkling one of the 13 kinds of Mrs. Dash on them while they’re on the grill.Report
They honestly don’t need much help at all. I’ve done them on the grill with a little salt & pepper and they were great.Report
Rub mustard under the skin. You will thank me later.Report
Then ask them “Is it safe?”Report
I grill chicken thighs (I prefer boneless and skinless) using the same seasoning I use for fried chicken, without the breading: salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder. It’s the first non-macaroni and cheese food that my youngest son actually requested I make, so it’s become a staple. And when I grill them, I leave them folded on low heat and it seems to trap quite a bit of moisture in my thighs.
Wait…that came out all wrong…Report
Oh, shit, I don’t have to use my company manners, do I? Given how well we all know each other, I figured that would just confuse people.Report
@mike-schilling Nope, you don’t. And Jaybird will be fine. Just know that if he’s acting weird, it’s not (any of) you in particular, just social situations with in-person-for-the-first-time people in general.
That goes for me too, for that matter :D.Report
Seriously, when I first met JB I was afraid he was going to faint, he looked so nervous at first, but then I think I talked like the whole time so God(ess?) only knows what kind of impression I gave in return. I really need to visit CO sometime when we can hang out and play some games in a more relaxed setting instead of with my husbands extended family looking on.Report
@north I made Jaybird read this comment and he told me to type, “He thought you were quite nice.” My theory is that the next Leaguefest should be in Minneapolis.Report
Man that would be awesome! I’m sure Micheal Drew would approve too.Report
Hope to hear some fun stories from Portland.
If I were there, I’d front a round of Chartreuse for everyone.Report
Busted my ass for the last 2 weeks. Missed jujitsu classes, ate crap. Taking a 4 day weekend to catch up with friends, have some good food and drinks, play games, cook, relax, research next vacation, etc.
Might pay a bill or two as well and clean the car if I get really motivated.
Enjoy LeagueFest.Report