Debbie R. and I had lunch with Lynn W. today at Nikos in Brightleaf. It was great to see Lynn. She looks great, and seems to be living the hell out of retirement. Good for her.
We had great, fun lunch discussion on a number of topics including discovering that Lynn and I both have “Lachapelles” in our genealogy. We might even be related. Wild, especially since mom and I talked, during our last phone call, about whether or not anyone in her family has ever done a genealogy.
At times I felt like I was totally monopolizing the conversation with Lynn, and by that I mean not giving Debbie a chance to talk. I did try to use some “emotional intelligence,” and look at Debbie when the conversation stopped to see if she was going to jump in with anything, but when she didn’t, I started right back up. She’s not an introvert, so I don’t think I was “shutting her out.” I hope not.
I did get the impression, though, a couple of times, that if I hadn’t been there, Lynn would have shared some “IBM gossip/rumors” of things “coming down the pike” with Debbie that she didn’t due to my presence.
Debbie and Lynn both had the Calamari Salad, and I had one of the “day’s specials”: chicken, sausage, and grilled onions over rice. It was all very yum, including the bread and butter!
I stopped by Fred’s Beds on the way home, and picked up my bed frame and its wheels. I then stopped at Harris Teeter, where the bonus find was 5 Lean Cuisines for $10.
Once home, I diced up some onion, celery, and a red bell pepper. I used some of each in making a chicken salad after grinding the chicken breasts, which I had cooked the other day, in the food processor. I added a splash of teriyaki sauce, mayo, mayonnaise, and white vinegar.
The rest of the chopped items are in containers to be used on salads this week.
When Robert arrived, he was a dear, and got the grill out and later, cooked the hot dogs. We had potato salad with it. Very yum. He was also a dear finishing up the clean up and putting away the grill, which I so appreciate.
After dinner, I started a load of clothes, and we put my new bed frame and bed together, which didn’t turn out to be too bad. I’m not sure it’s going to be as “optimal” as I had hoped, but it definitely is easier to move than the old bed, and the old bed was falling apart anyway.
We watched THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS, which was not bad, but not great — a fun little story that I’m glad we watched on DVD rather than paying to see in a theater. We stopped the movie halfway through to make some Kettle Corn popcorn. YUM.
Movie Synopsis: The Tenenbaums are a family of geniuses who reunite to deal with their long-estranged patriarch, Royal (Hackman), who returns with the news that he has stomach cancer and has only six weeks to live.
After the movie we did the crossword puzzle from the latest Independent, and actually got through the whole thing. It was challenging, but not excruciating, which is exactly how I like them.