Humdrum Valley

So I am back in the Valley (second time in less than two weeks). My dad's 60th birthday was this evening. He didn't want to make a big to-do about it, so we just went out to eat with the brood + two family friends. The brood = my brother, my sister, spouses, and their kids. So all in all, we had 22 people there. (My family has a lot of spawn).



The highlights of Father Loblaw's 60th birfday:

1. My ultra-conservative grandmother asking me what kind of wine she should buy because she's heard that it helps you go to sleep at night. I don't think she's ever drank wine before in her life, but she claims she doesn't want to take sleeping pills b/c those are bad or something. But alcohol isn't? Don't know 'bout that...
2. Successfully inserting the term "asshat" into my dad's best friend's vernacular. He is in his late-40s. It's super funny. And he's been going around calling people "asshats."
3. More pressure from the 'rents and the family friends to go on a blind date-thing with this 21 year-old (who is, they assure me, very mature for his age). I keep trying to 'splain to them that I have made a conscious decision not to date or pursue anyone for at least 6 months. This is to no avail, of course.
4. My dad wanted fancy binoculars for his birthday; more than one person thought it would be cute to give him plasticky mini-binoculars as a joke.
5. Little Brother Loblaw (who is a mere 14 years of age) used the word "demoralizing" in a sentence. I was so proud... They grow up so fast! (Bonus: LBL informed me several times that I was now closer to my 25th birthday than my 24th birthday. Yayyy....)
6. My 15 year-old neice just got a car. I remember when she used to spit up on me (she spit up on lots of people) and I would play with her when she was a baby. They grow up so fast.

Last night I had qt w/ Jarren (and Matt, subsequently). We rolled over to Joe's Bar and Grill off W. 6th for some Austin Film Society mixer with musicians and artisty people. We had no intention to do any mixing. We were just there for the surroundings. All of the kids (and grown-up kids which included a 40 yo dude with a full head of teal-colored hair) had on nametags which included their profession (e.g. painter, artist, sculptor, writer, what have you). (And yes, I will have you.) Matt didn't wear a nametag, because, I guess he's too much of a bad ass; his AFS bff had one but he distinguished himself from the crowd with a gold star sticker. Jarren didn't want to bother with it. I wanted to write something random (and thus obviously hilarious on mine)-you know, NOT corporate attorney to be or Texas Bar Exam 1st time taker. Something like "unintentional comedian" or "who's who among american high school students." But I didn't.

Then onto Jarren's and HEB for vino. Drinking. The new "Big Love" and "My Boys" episodes. Then there was a spiral of blurriness that involved a trip to Nathan's, a late-night Jack in the Box run (I'm a fan apparently these days), and then falling asleep on my big chair in the middle of "Spanglish." All in all a rough night to wake up feeling fine at 10AM the next morning.

The drive down to el Valle itself = not bad. I had some Chik-fil-A for lunch, the requisite road trip M&M blizzard as a snack in George West, and got honked at by some narsty trucker dude. And I made a new mixed CD (titled August 8, 2007 of course) that is kind of rocking my socks.

Tomorrow I will be coming back from el Valle (it is to be a v. short trip). I have a billion things to do to get ready for the Htown move. Am beginning to stress.