the 49th week

Yep...

Memorial Day. I spent the afternoon with Mom, doing shopping and such and catching up. I've got a NASTY bruise from the blood-work; the vein knotted up something awful. The nurse asked me if I wanted her to try a different spot on the vein, and I told her just to keep going, it was already in there; and now I've got a bruise to prove it. I went out to Caesar's Creek, around 5:00 almost everyone from Dad's side of the family came over for a Memorial Day grill-out. It started to rain just as we got the grill going, but we made do. It was good seeing everybody, and I went to town on cheeseburgers, pasta, baked beans and Macaroni-&-Cheese. I returned to Cincinnati around 10:00, and I hung out with Blake, Andy, Amos & Isaac for a bit before calling it a night.

Tuesday. I worked 6-2:30, an insane day with our equipment breaking down at every turn: the ice machine's broken, the Food Prep cooler stopped working, our computer systems went down, and we were short-staffed. "Par for the course," Tiffany quipped. I echoed her sentiments. I napped after work and went to The Anchor to write, and when I got home I hung out with Amos and Ams, played "Dead Island," and Andy & I grabbed dinner from Chipotle. John and Brandy came over for a while, and Mandy brought my attention to a zombie attack in Florida. "Summon the horses and gather the men, say your last goodbyes to the women and children..."

Wednesday. I woke early and went to The Anchor to do some writing before closing shop with Shameless Amos (a.k.a. Commodore Harvey). Our oven quit working (add it to the list), so I ran over to Rock Bottom and grabbed some nachos w/ chicken for lunch. Megan--the waitress I always get--was there, and I hadn't talked to her for a hot minute, so that was cool. The new hire, Sarah, started today: she's got lots of XP (in the Skyrim sense) and should make a grand addition to the 600 team. Jake was at our house when we got home, his truck idling in the driveway with Brittany crouched inside on her phone: he had to piss before he went in his pants. Amos and I took zombie pictures, played Call of Duty, and I went on a late-night Wendy's run. I was excited about the possibility of a free grill from Tiffany, but it'd accidentally gotten lost in her stuff. She gave me the bad news, then said, "Lenin says you need to stop losing your grills." Ha.

Thursday. I worked 7:30-3:30 covering Ana's Food Prep shift, and after coffee and writing at The Anchor I went to Dewenter's apartment in Fort Thomas. We watched episodes of "The Office", listened to Zeppelin on his scratch-disc, and drove his cat Sunday--his sister's old cat--quite literally up the wall. We broiled some pound steaks and paired them with baked sweet potatoes and mac-&-cheese (with peas!). All this topped off with some bottles of Killian's Irish Red. A series of heavy storms rattled through on my drive home, and all downtown was lit up with reflected lightning as I drove across the McDonald's bridge. It was a sight to see.

Friday. I went to The Anchor before closing with Amos. After work I grabbed Rock Bottom with a friend, and we watched "Joe Dirt". I'd forgotten how much I love that movie. It was a pretty low-key night closed off with some waaaay too soon episodes of "South Park" (but that's what makes South Park great).

Saturday. I woke earlier than anticipated and did some writing at The Anchor, ran by the bank, went for a drive through Mount Aries, and grabbed Dusmesh for lunch with Andy after hanging out with Blake and Ams for a hot minute. I took an impromptu nap, played some "Dead Island," and was bored so I went to The Anchor for a second time today. I hung out with Blake and Andy by the fire Andy made in the backyard, and Andy & I talked about how Cincinnati is such a green city, resplendent with trees everywhere, deer on the roads, and if you were to take a photograph in most places, you could swear you were in an old Appalachian town somewhere. Speaking of deer, I've seen three on the road right by our house in the last week. I went to Dayton to see Mom and Dad, and Dad and I watched some of "The Hatfields & McCoys," and Mom & Dad went to bed so I stayed up and cuddled with Skyler and watched TV before following suit.

Sunday. I woke and got some Starbucks to perk up, and I went to 1/2 Price in Beavercreek to get a few books. Mom and Dad treated me to Frisch's for lunch, and Dad was going on and on about the show we watched last night, some new mini-series or something that just came out on The History Channel. It's a true story, really good with decent actors and good cinematography. I returned to Cincinnati to do laundry and read Gods & Generals, and C. Isaac came over and we hiked over to Brandy's to laugh, eat snacks, and share stories. Andy came by later on, followed by Ams & Amos, and Blake held up the rear. Erin made amazing white chocolate sugar cookies, and everyone went to The Anchor afterwards; I, however, went home and right to bed, a sweltering migraine pulsing behind my temples.