Saturday

Hi all (or should I say "both"?),

Today was a blast. Well, not really. Woke up around 9:30 (slept great) and immediately went to work washing my parents' junky cars. A minivan and a couple of cars, all three white with layers of dirt built up over the years from them being washed once a year max. We'd agreed the night befor that I would do this in return for my dad paying for a family dinner at the Country Kitchen Steakhouse in Portland. Given the choice I might have opted out of the dinner, but as it was I devoted three hours of my day to cleaning those cars, inside and out. Ancient pop spills on the rugs and in the cupholders, mildewy smell and hand smears on the windshields from my older sister, upon whom we can not prevail to stop wiping the fog off in the morning with her bare hand. Ah, yes.

Oh, managed to get out and buy some cigars. I like the thin sweets best. I get too high on the big ones.;) Not that one can ever be "too high". Bought a cigar cutter, too. That was something I lacked. I realized once after having only smoked a few cigars outside of a T.A.C. dorm party (at which there was always a fellow handy with his cutter) that it was difficult to suck out any smoke. And I'm not supposed to have to "suck" to get smoke out, right, so what the heck? Ah, yes, young grasshoppa, that's why that guy cut the end off. Some bite it off, but that gets messy and annoying. I don't want to swallow the leaves. Live and learn, right?

Anyway, had a nice meal afterwards. Halibut steak and a baked potato. But it's one of those joints where the appetizers are just as good as the main courses and so you've gotta eat a ton before your platter gets there. Onion rings, vegetables with dip, fresh french bread and salad and I only ate half my halibut, but it was all great. Went to Powell Books (massive used book store) afterwards and bought some comic books. We were rushed for time and I couldn't find the history section, so that's all I got. I'm reading Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose right now, though. Excellent book, excellent shows of the same title. Strong language and violence, though, kids.

Oh, and so we got home and watch the Red Sox vs. Indians for four hours, into extra innings. The score still tied 6-6 going into the 10th inning and the Sox lose 13-6!!!!!! What the ****************???? I was ticked off. Freaking losers, hate 'em forever, don't care to watch anymore, see you Monday for game three, of course. Anyway, so it's a best-of-seven series and they split the first two games at home, that's all good and well. But they freaking have to go to Cleveland for three straight now! Bad, bad, bad. Stop not winning already! Well, I feel a little better, but not much! I guess I'll shut up now, not really much planned for tomorrow, except sing with the Schola and full choir at High Mass. I REALLY don't like Schola, it's hard (partly because I don't practice). But I can't read music, I'm not confident enough to sing out and I'm just not enthusiastic enough to listen to music cds to memorize the stuff. But they need bodies and my voice isn't bad. Well, it's lousy in the mornings, but I guess that's natural. I'm tired, should go to bed. Happy Sunday. Maybe I'll go hiking tomorrow with my friend, I dunno.