Driving To and Fro

Boy, what a busy weekend! I am looking forward to next month, when our four-month odyssey of seemingly non-stop activity should slow down, and we can have more time to do lazy things on weekends, or work on projects at home, or whatever.

Friday we went out for dinner at Frankie, Johnny & Luigi Too, one of our favorite Italian places in town. And then Saturday was the whirlwind.

Debbi had an all-day event with some friends for her scrapbooking hobby. So I was on my own for most of the day. I ran a few errands, and then went out in my quest for new sandals. I'd really like to get a new pair of Mephisto sandals, but the stores in the Bay Area which stock them have very limited selections of men's sandals. I just want sandals with two or three straps over my foot, and a strap behind my heel. But it's that last strap which is really hard to find. I see from their Web site that they do have a few actual retail outlets, including one in Berkeley, so perhaps I should just go there. Third-party retailers tend to only stock two or three styles of sandal, though.

Even Birkenstocks seem hard to find these days in any variety. There are a few more outlets around, but in Madison I was able to find them in many stores. So it's a bit strange. In any event, I was unable to find any sandals on Saturday, which was a bummer. (And the ones I did see were about twice as expensive as I'd thought they'd be!) But I did do some fun browsing at the Stanford Shopping Center.

Later in the afternoon I drove down to the valley for a baby shower for my friends Syd and Jade. I brought gifts which Debbi and I picked up last week. I didn't know many people there, although I knew a few from a couple of meetings before. But it was a fun time with good food and good conversation. Syd and Jade are going into parenthood with their senses of humor intact, which I understand is a good thing. I think they are a little astonished at how much "accessorizing" babies require.

Finally, Debbi and I met up at home (we got back within 3 minutes of each other!) and drove to the east bay to visit my friend Karen, who invited us up for dinner. I'd picked up some flowers as a gift, and Karen grilled some fajita fixings, which was yummy. We topped it off with ice cream and chocolate, and sat around talking until nearly midnight - much to Debbi and Karen's surprise, when they looked at the clock! (But not to mine, because I'm a clock-watcher whether I'm having fun or not. Which I think some people find an annoying trait of mine.) I managed to reduce Karen to hysterical laughter at one point (without telling any puns!), so you know it was a good evening. ;-)

Well, I did blow the turn on the on-ramp on the way home, and we got stuck in Bay Bridge traffic, which was backed up 30 minutes at the toll booths even at midnight. Aargh. But I stayed awake until we got home. Thank goodness.

Today my main goal was to buy some sandals, darnit. I'd discovered that there's a Birkenstock outlet in the Gilroy Outlet Mall, so we drove down there. I found a pair of sandals that were not quite what I want (no behind-the-ankle strap), but are pretty close, and were less than $50, so I count that as a victory. If nothing else, they should see me through Subrata's wedding next weekend.

I also scoped out wide-screen TVs at the Sony outlet, and bought some cookware at the Farberware outlet. So it was a successful trip. On the way home we got a late lunch and did some more shopping on our list.

Then we finally came home. Debbi collapsed in exhaustion (she also had a headache), while I planted some pansies I'd bought last week for my garden. Then I collapsed with her and we watched the Phillies/Braves game until Debbi went home (the Phillies won dramatically in the 10th inning, 2-1).

So it was a good, productive weekend. But very, very busy! Phew!