Weekender

What an unexpected weekend. I missed the boat on (but wouldn't have ultimately accepted) a chance to head out camping with some good friends. My roommate and his girlfriend came back from that adventure this afternoon, speaking nothing but good of the whole event and asserting quite factually that I'll be joining them next year. We'll see, dude.

I also turned down an invite to party on Canyon Lake. It came from a co-worker with whom I'm on good terms, but when she walked over to ask, she said she had hesitated many times in the past to request my presence. She's happily married and knows I'm an active dater, so her hesitation couldn't be about that. It seemed more like she was testing her conception of me as a social recluse and felt nervous during the lab portion of her science.

I came close to accepting it. I generally like the broad array of people in my company and shit: I need to even out my tan anyway. But I'd already set time aside this weekend to get some things done that had long ago deserved the attention.

To wit:

The lawn's ritual hackjob mow. I can't say whether it looks worse in person because it all depends on the angle of approach. This part of the lawn gets terrible sun coverage. It's either far too much or far too little. My mower is a hand-me-down from Father and hasn't had a checkup in years, but this was the first time it ran rough. I have needed an excuse for a push mower...

The car's first hand wash. Man, here's a warning to all potential buyers of diesel-powered vehicles: do not let exhaust soot linger on your car's finish! That shit will somehow meld with the paint over time. The hatch on my TDI feels like 120-grit sandpaper in places. Using a bug scrubber resulted in tired arms and victorious, still-stuck bits of combustion byproduct.

The repair of my front porch's bug screen. This was a bitch and not only because it was hot and standing on a ladder on the porch means little to no breeze reaching you. Stormy weather has brought down that upper left corner of the screen down twice before; my roommate and I cut the screen to spec a little too tight. The result is the same two-inch-wide strip of screen has seen several dozens of staples during its short life and I've had to staple extra strips along that crucial edge to add strength. I've also lost the very impressive drum-tight and wrinkle-less appearance the screen had when we first put it in.

I expect it to hit the mat when the next medium-size storm blows through, which is why the roomie and I want to add one (perhaps two) support columns from handrail to ceiling.

Watching 12 Angry Men for one of my St. Edward's classes. Great film, and it isn't the 1957 classic. I'm studying it to reveal the jury's group dynamics and apply current group communications theory to their actions.

That was the agenda for my free time from Thursday evening till Saturday afternoon. Saturday ended with a pleasant BBQ at the home of two good friends. Even though the Omaha beef burgers didn't cooperate have the time and stay in proper burger formation (silly Cornhuskers), they still tasted great. And what better to wash down a beefy meal than with Deutsches Bier?

Saturday quickly became Sunday and after receiving a text message from my "radar" (explanation), I drove over there and she put on The Piano. I hadn't seen it before and will have to watch it again because even though I made it through the end, I was beginning to nod off 2/3rds the way through it and probably missed a few important sequences. Considering my biggest exposure to Holly Hunter was The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom and Raising Arizona, it was a bit of a shock to see her in a very serious movie.

Sunday was spent with my friend and Colby, a Great Dane she was keeping an eye on while his owner was out of town. I'm not a dog person but I can tolerate well-behaved canines that don't yap at every noise and aren't pitiful hairy toys. Colby was quite easily the nicest dog I've ever met and he took to me quickly. I credit my years of well-honed cat scratching skills.

Perhaps this is just my dog ignorance showing, but when a dog his size (~130 lbs, 3½ ft at the shoulder) is taken to the Draught House parking lot, exposed to dozens of new people and at least half a dozen other dogs - especially with two non-owners in charge of him - and doesn't cause a fuss...I'm very impressed. He was a joy and everyone was taken with him. Oh, and the human company was excellent. As always.

All in all, a weekend of exceeded expectations.

Posted by Drizzten at May 29, 2006 06:21 PM