So I tastefully arranged myself sidesaddle on my vacuum cleaner...

Well, really, it seemed as if I had ought to; I've used it enough since last week to consider it a vehicle! Really, I feel like La Befana!

When it was well and truly time to put the vacuum cleaner up, I did so with relief. James was required to tramp off to work this morning, but today was the first BritTrack Meet'n'Greet of the season and I didn't intend to miss it. Have seen these folks only on Facebook since September (except for Caro and Jason, who we bumped into at Garden Ridge while space tree shopping). So I set out on my journey intown by stopping at the Smyrna Library for a long reason I won't bore you with. While the Smyrna Library is in Cobb County, it's not part of the Cobb County library system. While I was in there trying to use the wifi, I discovered that instead of having a Friends of the Library book sale twice a year like Cobb County does, they have three shelves permanently set up as "Friends of the Library" sales shelves. There are also sometimes records and tapes, but mostly books. Surprisingly, a bunch of these books were brand new, and I found four that I can put away as Christmas gifts! I also got a copy of the AP stylebook for only a quarter. A serendipitous stop, I'd say.

Then I drove out to the Marlay House, which is an Irish pub at the edge of downtown Decatur. Since it was [insufferably] warm today, the streets were alive with walkers and bicyclists. I have no idea why they prefer walking/riding in such miserable weather, but that's just me. Anyway, arrived at the Marlay House and saw a bunch of familiar faces! Surprise! It was the Tolkien fan group! The BritTrack folks were in the rear (although after the Tolkien group broke up a lot of them wandered back to our group).

Anyway, we had a great time. I made the mistake of having an appetizer: a cup of "New England clam chowder." Think about the normal type of clam chowder you're offered in the typical restaurant, gloppy, white, minimal clams (if any; James and I once ate in a Shoney's where the "chowda" was as thin as milk and had no clams in it at all), and little diced potatoes. This had clams in it, bacon, and big chunks of potato, something in every spoonful, and was a nice light beige color, with a satisfying, rich taste. as if it had clam broth in it. And bread to dunk in it, too. So when my lamb stew came around I barely ate a few forkfuls and asked for a container instead. (Since James asked me to bring him a Shepherd's pie, now we both have something for supper on Sunday.)  Eventually we had fourteen people, all talking about Doctor Who or DragonCon or British TV programming. About halfway through the afternoon, Rob Bowen's girlfriend remembered she had left something in the car she wanted to give to one of the ladies in the group.

Instead she came back with a birthday cake for Rob, which she had in the car they'd both driven to the pub in. And he didn't know it! I like this woman! He's turning 42 in a week or two, so the cake said "Of course the answer is..." with a "4" candle and a "2" candle. She also gave him a T-shirt that did a riff on the milk commercials which said "Got 42?"

It all broke up about 4:30 and I headed home. James was already in and had walked the dog by the time I got in. We went to supper at IHOP—we like eating off the senior menu; it's enough and cheap!—and then came home. Nothing really to do unless we want to go to Barnes & Noble...said while I sadly remember all those Friday and Saturday nights at Borders, bumping into the Butlers or the Boroses or the Spiveys. All the best people hung out in Borders. :-)

(I wonder what happened to Shaun, who used to work at the Austell store.)

So now I'm on chat...

Labels: books, chores, food, friends

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. . . . . noted and logged by Linda at 11:57:00 PM

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