The latest adventure

So we started a new adventure last Sunday: Engagement. As in we're getting married, and we have to decide how we're going to go about doing that. Is this blog going to suddenly become about a wedding? The jury's still out, but whisperings from the deliberations indicate that it's a good possibility. For a while, at least.

But before that, let's share the "How did he do it?!" story!

So last Sunday (that would be September 19th), San and I had brunch with what turned into not only quite a large-ish group of people (eight plus baby!) but a tardy one, as well. One couple showed up about 15 minutes late, as usual, but the rest rolled in 45 minutes after our reservation began. San was a little impatient, but he was hungry. And he'd been talking about going to the botanic gardens since the week before, and was upset at the prospect of rain that afternoon, so he wanted to finish up breakfast and go. Around 12:30, we were finally on our way home...in the rain.

Once we got home we checked the weather, and relieved that it looked like the rain was passing and that we wouldn't get drenched, we headed for the Chicago Botanic Gardens (www.chicago-botanic.org). Once there, we scoped out the farmer's market and grabbed a map. San immediately identified a little island at the south end of the gardens called Spider Island. I hadn't been to this part of the park, so we headed that direction. On the way, we wandered into a cooking demonstration, had a complimentary butternut squash flan snack, and then continued on our search for this tiny little dot on the map. Finally we found it. We strolled down the path, across a winding bridge, and down a second path that looped around the island. At the end of the path we found a stone seating area, where we sat on the rocks and contemplated the lake. Well, I was contemplating the lake.

After a few moments, during which the screaming children on the path miraculously disappeared, San stood up a little, saying, "I have something for you." And out came the ring box. My graceful response: "Are you serious?" Unperturbed, he got down on one knee and opened the box, asking something to the affect of, "Will you be my wife?"

I cried a little, gave him a giant hug, and (obviously) said yes! And onto my left hand went the sapphire and diamond ring, which he had designed over the course of the previous three months.

Thankfully people didn't wander into the little clearing long enough to for me to regain my composure. Unfortunately, they also wouldn't wander into the little alcove so that we could coerce them into taking our picture. We finally left the island, both of us grinning and trying out the title "fiance," and made our way out of the park since we weren't really paying attention to it any longer.

And so that's the story. No, we haven't set a date. In fact, we haven't even narrowed it down to a month, or a specific time of year beyond "not hot." Unfortunately for the rest of us, the only months that qualify as "not hot" in San's view of the world are December, January, and February. We'll keep all interested parties informed.

This post contains gratuitous profanity. Love it.

So...the pickings have been a little lean here. That should be considered a good thing, because it means we've been doing other stuff. You know, like living :-) But then again I've been working too much...this weekend will be four out of six consecutive weekends. One of the non-working weekends was spent working on a different activity, primarily getting Ashley married (twice) in California. The other weekend was Easter, and I slept for a long time. It was a beautiful thing.

I feel like I should say something gratifying to summarize the last few months, but instead, I'm going to recognize a few simple things.

I made banana pudding, Southern Style. Based on San's ecstatic reaction, I should cook more. The humorous incident that the pudding-making preceded went something as follows: I took my friend-who-is-growing-a-baby a cup of pudding (the container had gradations), ate a small portion myself, and thoughtfully left some for San. I retired before he came home from his friend's house. The next morning, I woke him up and his first words were, "mmmmmm......You ate all the fucking pudding!"

Ashley owes me a spa date, and she knows this :-) Of the last six weekends, hers was the most exhausting.

San's parents are scheduled to visit next weekend. They will see my new condo before my parents do. Is there some kind of proper timeframe for parents to visit to check out their child's first home? You know, that they OWN? My tax refund has shown up before them. I don't understand my parents' fear (or aversion...whatever it actually is) to Chicago. I've lived here for nearly five and a half years, and they have visited me to (a) move me here, (b) deliver a new car, (c) visit before Christmas - without dad, and (d) get a mother-of-the-groom dress - again without dad. Which reminds me that dad once commented that he was more worried about his daughter who lives in Chicago than his son who is a Marine.

Some days my work is kind. When I had to work last Saturday - and ended up going by myself - the vice president who is the project manager on the project offered to pay for a hotel and food for San to come with me for the weekend. We had a great time...nice dinner, rest without kitties crying for attention, no housework nagging us for completion, lots of rest, a yummy brewery tour, and a HUGE deal on the pots we've been lusting over at the outlet mall on the way home.

We got an album by a band called Gangstagrass. It's gangsta rap meets bluegrass. It's disturbing and awesome simultaneously. Really...how often do you get to hear someone pluck a banjo AND drop the F-bomb?! Sweet.

There are leaves on the trees, and even though it means I have to wear sunscreen constantly, this makes me happy.

Lost in Translation 2

Because YOU demanded it, a recap of the Lost episode, "The Substitute,” in which it seemed like we learned something new, but in actuality, not really.

SAWYER (Sloshed on liquor): I’m afraid to be alone and I miss my blondie bear… mmmm… booze good.

LOCKELGANGER: Hello Sawyer. Put down your tasty beverage and come with me. I will tell you why you are on this asspit of an island!

SAWYER: You aren’t Locke. Locke was all ‘fraidy cat, but you… you just ooze man confidence like a fireproof Tom Selleck on a sea of lava. And believe me, I know. I used to be a wicked badass too until… well, now I guess.

LOCKELGANGER: Awww… come on, Sawyer. Take a nature walk with me. If not for actual answers, then for shits and giggles!

SAWYER [Shrugs]: For S&G? Yeah… F@#$ it, why not.

AS LOCKELGANGER AND SAWYER TRAVEL THROUGH THE JUNGLE, A TEENAGE BOY WHO MAY BE A YOUNG JACOB (THE ARCHENEMY OF LOCKELGANGER WHO WAS KILLED A FEW EPS AGO) SUDDENLY RUNS PAST.

SAWYER: Great. Someone let Lord of the Flies loose.

LOCKELGANGER: You can see him?!

SAWYER: Uh, yeah… Well, maybe. I am still pretty sauced…

JUNGLE BOY RUNS OFF AND LOCKELGANGER PURSUES.

JUNGLE BOY: [Stops and turns toward Lockelganger] You’re an asshole! You can’t break the rules! I liiiivvveeee!!!! Muhuhaha!!! [Skips away]

LOCKELGANGER AND SAWYER CONTINUE UNTIL THEY REACH A CLIFF WITH A LADDER THAT OVERLOOKS THE OCEAN. THE LADDER IS, OF COURSE, IN PRISTINE PHYSICAL CONDITION.

SAWYER: Aww, hell no!

LOCKELGANGER: There’s Vodka below. [Winks]

SAWYER AND LOCKELGANGER DESCEND. EXTRA DRAMATIC EFFECT HERE! THE LADDER BREAKS AND SAWYER ALMOST FALLS AND DIES. GASP! THEY REACH AN ENCHANTING GROTTO BY THE SEA.

SAWYER: Nice cave, Smeagol, but I see neither vodka nor giggles here.

LOCKELGANGER: Oh, it’s more than a cave, Sawyer. This is where Jacob liked to color! Look, see the names of your friends on the ceiling? Jacob was totally in his chalk experimentation phase then.

SAWYER: …

LOCKELGANGER: Oh, you were also chosen to be on this island, which everyone already knows, but I so enjoy reiteration. What you don’t know is that YOU are a finalist in Jacob’s Island Protector Sweepstakes! [Cue Price Is Right music]

SAWYER: That’s #@$%ing lame.

LOCKELGANGER: Indeed it is. So whattaya say we just blow this pop stand and get some brewskies in Vegas!

SAWYER: That is one of the best plans anyone has ever had on this freakin’ island. I hope you got a fast boat, cause my buzz is wearing off and I feel a teardrop coming.

Lost in Translation

In anticipation of tonight’s Lost episode, here’s my recap of last week’s show, in which nothing really happened… again.

JACK: I want answers, mysterious temple leader who showed up two episodes ago!

GHENGIS KHAN ISLAND EDITION GUY: As soon as we finish torturing your friend for reasons I won't divulge, I promise to answer all your questions.

INSERT OBLIGATORY TORTURE SCENE HERE

JACK: Okay, you had your hot poker party on my pal, now I want answers!

GKIEG: First, give your friend this pill that I just whipped up in my man kitchen. No, I won't tell you what it is or why you need to give it to him. That would be telling. I will say that it's delicious, because I made it.

JACK: Grumble… stupid mystery pill… grumble

JACK DECIDES NOT TO HAVE SAYID TAKE PILL. RETURNS TO GKIEG.

GKIEG: You didn’t give it to him, did you?

JACK: No! What's in this little bitch?

GKIEG: Your friend has a disease of indiscriminate and inexplicable origin. I can’t even describe it in my native and extremely eloquent Japanese (which I’m speaking just to annoy everyone), much less your inferior English. But you can trust me.

JACK: Trust you?! WTF! [Swallows pill] How you like dem apples?

GKIEG HEIMLICHS JACK. THE LITTLE BITCH IS PROMPTLY EXPELLED.

JACK: [Choke] Tell me what’s in it!? I’m a doctor, damn you! I must know!

GKIEG: Okay, so it’s poison! Are you happy now!? We brought your bearded chum back to life, but now we need to kill his ass or he’ll be diseased or something. We aren’t really sure why, but it’s #$%ing bad. It turns people into mad French chicks! Believe me, Sayid WILL go Rousseau on your Oceanic 815 ass.

It was one of those days.

Some days just don't go right. For instance, here was yesterday.

• We failed to pay the rent for the old apartment while we were there cleaning. Now the check has to be mailed.
• Bought a disgusting amount of stuff at IKEA, but failed to hand the cashier a coupon. IKEA won't honor the $25 off after the fact.
• Will be driving all the way out to Schaumburg to return the optional purchases that were bought today. They will get $75 in merchandise back. I'll think thrice before shopping there again: it's not worth the drive, the crowd, not finding what you want in stock, and the poor customer service.
• We drove to Glencoe to pick up a package for San. He found out that even though he had called ahead, his package wasn't there. Our post office had borrowed some trucks from Glencoe Post Office, and the driver left a delivery slip with the wrong post office on it.
• My doctor's office was supposed to call in a refill on Friday. I ran out this morning and went to pick it up, but the pharmacy has no record of it. The doc's office is closed for the weekend. I'm out of town on Monday, until Tuesday morning. I NEED this medication to function properly. And there seems to be nothing I can do about it for a few days.

And bonuses for the week:

• A Christmas present that we bought through a third-party vendor on Amazon refused the return of the merchandise that was the wrong size, because we missed the "extended" return period, which ended on January 8th. They refuse a refund, and they also refuse to give us store credit. They indicated that even though they would usually issue the store credit, they wouldn't do it because we made the purchase through Amazon.
• I had a very uncomfortable biopsy on Thursday evening. I'm still feeling the effects.
• This morning I realized that I failed to mail in a cat food rebate that I've had since November. It had to be postmarked today, which means that it had to be mailed yesterday.