Father's Night, Mother's Day

Carina came down sick on Friday, and went to bed very early Saturday night. I took the opportunity to slip out of the house for a long evening out and about. I treated myself to dinner at the local pub down the street (a favorite haunt of ours). Sitting contemplatively, I glanced about and laughed aloud when I saw the “Joke of the Day” written on the chalkboard behind the bar:

We had a rather extended “blast from the past” just after Death in the Midwest finished their gig. Tom and I were standing at the bar, waiting to order drinks, when a fellow sidled up next to Tom, also waiting to order drinks. I glanced over Tom’s shoulder at the fellow and then confided to Tom that it looked like Dave, a guy we used to run around with during our first year of high school. Tom glanced over his shoulder and dismissed the notion. “No really!” I said. So Tom turned around said, “Hey, are you Dave?” Recognition broke over Dave’s face, and we all laughed pretty heartily at the surprise. I was even more surprised to learn that Kelly and Dave knew one another, making the world that much smaller.

The band played a short set (they were opening for someone else), so I convinced Tom and Kelly to join me for a trip to the new Outlands. It’s not nearly as good as the old one, facility wise, but the overall vibe – and certainly the poeple in the crowd – was very much the same. It was Kelly’s first trip, so she stood agape for a while revelling in the absurdity of the place. We saw Mike there (he’s always there!), and had a brief chat. I left around 2:30, relatively content with a good night out for myself.

This morning – Mother’s Day – the kids and I let Carina sleep in a little late, then drove to my dad’s house for pancakes. We had a very pleasant, quiet breakfast with dad, and then came home to let Carina get some more sleep, hoping to work out the cold or flu that has her. I spent some time geeking out on various aborted projects (more in a separate post), and goofing off with Tyler.

At 3:30 I woke Carina, and told her to get dressed. I didn’t say where we were going, and she didn’t ask. I drove the four of us to The Melting Pot where we met Carina’s parents and brother. Carina was delighted, as this is one of her favorite novelty restaurants (good for one or two visits per year, but not the kind of place you’d want to frequent with any regularity). We had a fabulous fondue dinner, complete with delicious chocolate fondue dessert. By the end of the meal Carina was feeling moderately better, and certainly plenty satiated. I was a little worried that the twins would be finnicky: it’s impossible to tell what things will cause them to decide they don’t like today a food product they ate within the last week. To my delight, they were not only well behaved but also ate their entire meals.

Happy Mother’s Day, Carina!