THE RANDOMIZER STRIKES AGAIN . . .

Parting thoughts before Uncle Sam lets me go for the evening . . .

. . . I miss M. I wish she were out of the hospital and back to strolling around with a grin on her face at NHF, accepting everyone's well-wishes. I wish she could come out for dinner with us. I wish we could kidnap her and whisk her away to the Bahamas. I wish she was at JKo's wedding so she could join us in laughing at our guys leaping and jumping at "Shook Me All Night Long." I wish it were November, so I could go over and babysit and give M some much-needed rest and a long-awaited date night with C. C'mon, Noodles! Shape up!

. . . Patria tonight was supposed to be a 6-lady affair, but it has dwindled to 3. Surprisingly, I'm not disappointed. Sometimes, a conversation split 6 ways between 6 very outspoken, funny, witty, interesting women can rapidly become overwhelming. Too many stories to tell, to hear, to laugh at, to absorb. Too much gossip to share. Too much sympathizing to be done. And the two women I shall be dining with tonight are certainly two that I want to draw closer to, to bring into my family as I have done with other gal-pals. So tonight, we chow, and dish and bond over a wee splash of sangria and I can't wait.

. . . JW told me on Saturday that I need to relax. What does that mean?! I AM relaxed!!! Can't you tell?!?!? Actually, I think at that point -- while I was vehemently protesting Michelle Branch's vocal stylings (she unnecessarily drops almost all of her phrases in an annoyingly breathy way) -- I was so cracked out on insufficient sleep and a malnutritious (not a word, I don't think) diet, that I would have pontificated loudly on any subject, from the price of Asian cabbage to the existence of institutional racism (oh my gawd, I know someone who thinks it doesn't exist anymore, and I'm related to him by marriage!!! HELP!). That was also a day after I e-screamed at him about men and women and sports trivia (see prior entry). But seriously, do I need to relax? And if I did, wouldn't I be --gasp! -- BORING and IRRELEVANT?! The horror . . .