Only One Left

First, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who managed to come to the party on the 22nd. Richard and Bettina, you didn’t drink nearly enough, but you provided me with reading material, so all is forgiven. Ryan J, I still can’t believe you only broke two of my ITG records; it’s surreal. I’ll try to enjoy your shot glasses, since they’re the first ones I’ve ever owned (at 30, go figure). Ryan D and Amanda, you should have stayed! I’ll try to get the blue robot in the Rock’em Sock’em Robots game to lose more evenly for your next visit, and thanks for the Lil’ smokies; they’ve been a great lunch for the past couple days. I hope we didn’t drive you too batty Justin, and I’m sure I’ll get tons of use out of Mario Party 8; party games rule! Thanks for coming up, Mom… now everyone knows my weirdness has a genetic component.

And finally: Jen. What can I say? You provided gift-bags to guests containing a baffling assortment of 80’s themed memorabilia, two cakes, crock-pot macaroni, crock-pot Swedish Meatballs, enough plates, napkins and plastic silverware to wage a blistering skirmish, decorations, and how can I forget the Never Ending Story and On Food and Cooking, probably the best book on kitchen science ever amassed. You undertook a ridiculous Herculean effort, and I honestly don’t know how you managed everything. I’d be lost without you.

To everyone who RSVP’d and didn’t show up, or copped out with a maybe: sucks to be you. We had Sapporo. We had Blue Moon. We had Don de Dieu. We had Smirnoff Ice. We had Mike’s Hard Lemonade. There were mixed drinks galore. All this in addition to my famous mud tortilla dip and the other appetizers and cakes. We finally all went to bed around 2am; it was glorious! I’ll have to find an excuse to do this again sometime.

I also just finished arguably the most unhinged and emotionally draining chapter of Rabbit Rue yet. It was the final battle, and not only are there revelations galore, but the action is hard and fast. Only one chapter remains, and it is the aftermath of the cataclysm and charged atmosphere that ties up as many loose-ends as possible. Hopefully, for those who have actually been reading, the ending won’t be obvious. I’ll likely tap out the last page sometime this week, and the scheduled posts will make it available by the end of October. An estimated 450 pages of warped prose, and I never believed I’d actually endure the trial. One more week folks, and Rabbit Rue is laid to rest.

Until Tomorrow