Well.  It’s hard to top the magnificent weekend I had.  As usual, I always enjoy weekends where nothing really extraordinary happens, but it’s productive and full of good friends and fun times.  Also, partly, although this time of year is known for suicides and stress, it also is the one time of the year when people make more of an effort to be nice to each other.  Well, I do, at any rate.  And this year in particular I’ve just been feeling very happy and extremely lucky to be living the life I’ve got.  I should acknowledge that at least once a year, right?

Friday night Dice and I went to the Glenwood with the Canadians.  It’s too cold for the patio to be open, which meant all the smokers were inside with a vengeance.  As I’ve mentioned on many occasions, that’s the one drawback to the Glenwood.  It’s pretty much unbreathable in there in the wintertime.  They again promised their non-smoking side would be open before New Year’s, but frankly they’ve been promising that so often that I flat out don’t believe them anymore.  But I really do hope they get it open soon.  But honestly, I don’t think I’ll be going there in the evening/crowded times anymore until that happens.

Saturday morning I got up and ran 7 miles, then I met up with Robin at her house and we took a turn around Grant Park.  We were having such a delightful conversation that I was actually shocked when the loop was over!  After which I ran home again for a total of about 9.5 miles or so.  Such a nice interlude in the middle of my run to be able to chat and walk around!  When I got home I hopped in the shower and raced out to the Colonnade for a long, leisurely, chatty lunch with a girlfriend.  On the way home from that I turned into the Trader Joe’s parking lot but couldn’t find a single spot, and there were cars and people everywhere, so I just went home.  Too many people to deal with.  Dice had gone to work during the afternoon, so after he came home we went to cheese dip for a relaxing dinner.

Sunday morning we layed on the couch watching TV for a few hours, then got up and went shopping for DCRH gifts and groceries.  Our quest was only party successful, many of the gifts we wanted to purchase we couldn’t find.  This poses a slight problem considering we must have our gifts in place before we leave for Scotland.  But it’ll just take more diligent searching and perhaps expedited shipping.  Then in the early evening we went to Pura Vida for a holiday dinner with the Canadians and Tim and Robin.  Pura Vida is a tapas place and I think it’s one of the best in town.  We asked that the chef make our selections and send us out 20 plates or so, which turned out to be the best idea ever because we got a smattering of such deliciousness!  Trout ceviche, goat with mifundo, beer battered broccoli, all of it was fantastic, and we were all full after the 20 plates.  Heh, how could you not be full after eating 20 plates of food?   I ended with the churros with chocolate dipping sauce for dessert.

It was an early evening dinner, which was good because we were home in time get some sleep before getting up early this morning.  This morning I dropped Dice at the airport and he’s on his way to sunny and exotic Albequerque, New Mexico!  So I shall be lonely and desolate this week without him.  Or not.  Either way.