winterbadger | this weekend

After a grueling (for me, but not all that grueling for people used to working more than 8 hours a day, I imagine :-) week of putting in extra hours so I could take Friday off, it has been blissful to relax into several days of indolence.

I had everything all set for Amy's arrival, but made a foolish and fatal mistake--I didn't read the itinerary one last time. So I had all the goodies in hand, I had the flowers, I got to the airport (by dint of a little speeding) right when her plane was arriving, so I was in the arrivals area well before she got off the plane.

Only, it turned out, I had gone to the wrong airport. I was at Dulles, and she was at National. :-(

Thank heavens for mobile phones, is all I can say. I felt liek a complete idiot, but at least we were able to sort out what had happened, and she caught a cab home while I fought my way through rush-hour traffic to her place. Of course there was an accident on the Beltway that evening. :-/ Anyway, I got there in the end, and she was touched by all the prep I'd done and really glad to see me, so much snuggling (and sleeping) ensued. While she was unpacking, she gave me two prezzies, a shirt from the Islamabad Embassy (kind of a private joke) and a rug!

Friday we got up fairly late (I think we both slept until about 10), ended up having lunch at The Lost Dog, did a few errands, and went back to her place in time for a nap which lasted form 6 to about 10 pm :-) We had a snack, watched A Fish Called Wanda, and called it a night!

Yesterday we had a comfortable morning of tea and toast, did some more errands (including getting her a new charger for her mobile and spending too much money at Williams Sonoma--though now I now have a few more useful chopping-up knives, a proper cheese plate and cheese knives, and some dish towels that maybe for once will absorb moisture instead of just shifting it around and adding lint...) We went back to her place and regretfully parted, she to go to the gym and me to get home and see my kitties and prepare for the big snow. As it happens, apparently Fairfax County closed all its facilities yesterday at 1 (!) before it had even started snowing, so poor Amy was left without any gym to go to :-(.

I made some ratatouille (kind of; sort of a Pvt. Baldrick's special recipe variation, with onions instead of leeks and basil and oil instead of proper basil pesto, and no anchovies !!!) We'll see how it turned out; I was done cooking it far too late to actually eat any of it--I had some pasta for dinner. Chris invited me upstairs to enjoy a fire, we watched some telly, and then went for a walk in the snow before bed, which was lovely!

Today I've just been lazing around. The power was out until about 9, and I've been taking photos (see previous entry) and generally pottering. Chris went off to DC to do some Screaming Eagles stuff; it took her several tries to get out of the driveway, but she made it. I may go sweep off my walk later, so as to catch it before it starts turning into ice...

Speaking of food, I think it's about time for some. Can't hardly call it breakfast at 1.30, but...