Shiny Men and Plastic Women

Last night was the birthday celebration for my dear friend. It was a fun night but we were out in an area of Boston I normally don't hang out in. The rule of the night seemed to be that the bar patrons believed in the theory of more is better. More hair gel. More sunless tanner. More makeup. It must have taken some of the ladies hours to shellac themselves and flat iron their hair. The men were equally coiffed and plastic. It did provide for great people watching.

The downside of going on on a Thursday night is that it feels so like Friday as you tip back your third ruby colored drink with the controversial star fruit garnish. The evening started right after work and seemed to go on forever. It did turn out to be late as we tried to nudge the rather tipsy birthday girl into a cab. It took some persuading but finally, with fare clasped in her hand, she was off. When I finally got through the door I realized that spinach and artichoke dip does not make a meal. I was dealing with the fight of two very strong urges - sleep or hunger. Hunger won out.

Father's Day

It was a beautiful day out today to visit with my family. My Stepdad was out fishing so I didn't get to see him today. My Dad and Stepmom were home so that's where the dog and I spent most of the afternoon. My Dad opened the pool today. He didn't put the chlorine in because he wanted to let the dog swim. It's a riot to watch him since he looks like a polar bear in the water! It's such good exercise for his old joints and it keeps him cool. He was good about staying away from the liner on the sides of the pool. My step-mom absolutely adores him and she actually made him an ice cream cone to enjoy by the pool. Yep, he's spoiled rotten but he is such a good boy he deserves it!

Yesterday was the one year anniversary of my grandfather's death so it was a bit of a subdued family visit. It does not seem like it's possible that it's already been a year but yet it some way it seems like the Friday I watched my grandfather die was a lifetime ago.

Friday Night on the Town

Well this last week was a tough one. So it was very nice that old friends and new could head out for some drinks and laughs. It was fun and in spite of promises that none of us was staying out too late due to Saturday morning commitments, we closed the bar down!

After hailing some cabs, one friend and I decided to walk across the Mass Ave bridge to where my car was parked. It was such a nice night out and walking across the bridge did remind me how pretty Boston can be at night. Our topic of discussion was the immense pride and awe at living in the only state in the Union that allows for gay marriage. I was thrilled and happy that all of my friends have the right to marriage regardless of their orientation. That is the way it way it should be and I'm glad I'm living here at this time.

Man's Best Friend (Woman's too!)

So as a dog owner and science geek, it's been very interesting to read about the recent progress of the Dog Genome Project. A lot of the research that is going on with dogs could very well have applications in human genetic research. If you own a purebred, AKC registered dog you can help. They NIH is looking for owners to submit either blood samples or cheek swabs for selected breeds. You can learn more about it here.

Laugh so hard it hurts

Well it was another fabulous Friday night out with my friends. After being laid out with my cold last week, it was so nice to be out and about. As one friend said, I was on fire that night! We started the evening at a cultural/singles event that provided way too much fodder for snarky comments. We may all be going straight to hell for some of them but at least we'll be together! After that, it was back to our usual Friday night spot for some more fun. There was indeed a moment that I was laughing so hard that I was afraid beer would come out my nose. Thankfully it didn't because really no one likes that. A surprise gift of a strand of pearls from my friend brought me to tears. The gesture was so sweet and unexpected it took me by surprise.

I can't even begin to relay some of the comments of the evening here because I don't know where to begin. I have been breaking into a Cheshire Cat grin as I play back the events of the evening. One friend headed out a bit early since she had to be somewhere at the crack of dawn on Saturday. We stayed a little later and then headed out to grab a cab. I do admire my friend's continued belief that he can hail a cab faster than I can. He is such a gentleman when we are out and it's always a sweet gesture. He's cute and all but what cabbie isn't going to stop for a girl in a short black skirt and tank top! I did finally make it back to my car and got home to three very sleepy pets.