12/16 T MINUS 1 HOUR:

Chris, naturally, has not arrived or sent word. I am left alone to prepare. Even still all is in readiness. Winds higher than expected but I'll make do. I have only to put up the banner and then I'll be entirely ready.

The fireworks are positioned along the driveway to aid in the ambush of Blake and his convoy.

12/17/05

The day I thought would never come has been here and gone. I had everything set up and ready to go at 5 oclock. They had taken the red carpet out of Blake's room to replace it and thrown the old carpet in the yard (where all other trash goes) so I rolled that out at the end of the pseudo driveway. I continued to be ready at six oclock and seven oclock. They finally arrived at eight due to traffic problems. The gasoline had lost its flaminess, as had the torches and the arrow.

Here you can see the red carpet, and the banner saying "Welcome home Blake" on the front of the house. The bonfire is absent in this picture, perhaps having been abducted by aliens temporarily.

Also, there was no one to help with the fireworks but Lorie was good enough to come out and do it. We finally got the call at 8 that they would arrive in ten minutes. all of the fireworks lit and it was an amazing display. As I expected Blake got off at the top of the hill and ran down to greet us through the hail of sparkles and smoke and explosions and fire,. The arrow I was going to light the bonfire with wouldnt light and there wasnt anymore lighter fluid, plus the bonfire wouldnt light so it took me a while to get it going.

In all the excitement I forgot to turn on the CD player, which was half frozen anyhow. I also forgot to take pictures of the actual event. Fuck, and those I did get of the fireworks were just brilliant white blurs.. Anyhow it really was spectacular. The big fountain I capped the bonfire with rolled off and me and Blake took turns kicking it and grabbing it to make it shoot upwards.

We were all really glad to see eachother and noone seemed too down about the traffic jam. We all went inside and watched life of brian and four rooms, and resolutions were made and plans, and all sorts of drunken talk from me, and memories were exchanged like when Blake didnt clean a small fish tank and the water turned opaque brown and I put the fish in clean water and it died of shock. Or the time Charles broke Blake's action figure of Wing Zero Custom.

And there was champagne and drinks and all that, and Rachael was happy and everyone was generally having a good time, Blake seemed really impressed with all the food. So after the movies and all Blake went to bed and I went up to my room, that was about two oclock that we parted. All in all though it's been a great day so far and things should get real interesting here soon.

Day 2: December 17

Chris, Kim(his girlfriend) and D (his friend) arrived today around eight. Blake had been out for almost the whole day going to see Diana. So they all got here at nearly the same time. I went out to greet them as Chris' car incontinently slid through the yard. He eventually came to a stop on the red carpet I'd put out for Blake.

They came in and the dog was yapping as little stupid dogs like to do. It kept acting like it wanted to come inside but it never actually did. So after a while we went in Blakes room and set up. First we tried the drinkables. Blake tried just about everything and then we broke open the jujubes and he made a drink with jujubes and soda water. I put in some curacao and it was still good, and then I put some whipped cream on top and sank some grenadine to the bottom.

Blake says: "Hello, bartender? I'd like a jujubees and soda straight."

Blake didnt want any so I chugged it all in one gulp. It wasnt bad since it was mostly soda water but then the jujubes mixed with the whipped cream and I couldnt get most of that down. So after that we made some insanely horrible drink with twist up (ripoff 7 up) sambuca curacao and god knows what else. I later put a pack of gushers and some cheese wiz in it. After that I took a little sip but I did not like it. Note: Spray cheese looks FUCKING AWESOME in a drink.

Somewhere in this glass there is spray cheese, curacao, grenadine and sambuca. I apologize to my liver.

Anyhow we finally did get a D&D game together. I was going to DM but then D decided we had to play by the rules. It was a historicly bad idea. he spent at least an hour telling us about our characters. He likes to pause for longer than anyone I've ever known. By this time I had ingested the following:

Sambuca

Curacao

Creme De Cacao

Champagne

And lots of it, as well as the insanity drink. So yeah, I kind of laughed at every other word he said. It didnt help that after about twenty minutes all he'd told us was that we were from Cockland (or Cocklyn, either way) and that we had been experimenting with eachother. Make of that what you will.

Finally, after he'd told us all of our character histories individually, and mine basically consisted of "you got looked out for by Chris' character then you got beat up, then you realized you had magic, then your mom type creature died and told you to leave, now you're on a ship in a barrel." over half an hour or so.

Charlie and Lorie got home at some point and brought some guy who had gotten in a fight with some Mexicans. I'm not really into judging other people, but judging by the kind of folk Charlie hangs with I'm going to bet that the fight started when someone used the term "julios" or "wetbacks" and I'm going to bet that the person or people who used that term weren't the Mexicans. Blake wisely locked the door and all I heard was the guy murmering about "They dont call me the Great White Wonder for nothing"

Charlie came in once or twice. He dispensed wisdom like "that stuff'll fuck you up" as he pointed to the friggin Grenadine (fun liqueur fact: grenadine is 2 proof.) And he made similar statements about everything else, then rambled on for a while until he left after being cool enough to donate a mattress to our cause and we got down to business.

Finally we started playing, and there was a lot of rolling, and we couldnt call things demons for some reason, and we all got horribly bored. Basically we got boarded by three creatures. We then PWNed them even though my character got KOed. That was pretty much the game except for a bit of talking. It wouldnt have been too bad if we were going to do it again, but for our love of D&D we must never play like that again. I'm DMing tomorrow.

Once again I forgot to take pictures, or perhaps Chris just didnt want to be photographed and made me forget with his sorcery, but I swear I won't forget tomorrow. There'll be more party then. I barely ate anything today but I drank a lot. After the game we all went to pass out, or at least they did. I'm sedated but I can get through it. Chris and Kim fell asleep on Blake's bed with a bottle of champagne, blake fell asleep on the floor with a vietnamese hat on his head and D passed out on a blue mattress Charlie provided.

So now I'm in my room alone. I finished off my last cup of strawberry champagne and now I'm going to likely brush my teeth and go to bed. I feel so bad. Not physically mind you. I'm a bit wobbly and laughty though. But I don't know. I mean, I feel like this is somehow wrong. Good times like this, they make you feel guilty as soon as they're over. Because, maybe, you didnt deserve them. And maybe they'll never come again.

I hope so though, because I really like that strawberry flavored champagne.

December 20

So I returned to Filomena ristorante in Georgetown today for the company Christmas party. I havn't been there in two years and it didnt change much. The tree was still as bright and the limo was still as nice on the way there, and there was just as much liquer. And this time I was over 21!

Once again, apologies go out to my liver.

We went through 2 bottles of champagne on the way there. I was very much taciturn and quiet the whole time because I was near a few of the employees who I'm less apt to speak to, and the only ones I'd really care to talk to (not to say I don't like everyone else of course) were Angie Deborah Lucas and Linda, and they were kind of off away from me on the other side of the limo mostly.

I took this image by the reflection of a mirror so it has a "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" quality to it.

We eventually got to Filomena's and this year Deborah actually had to tell the staff to behave themselves. I can understand it though, many of them have probably never been to restaurants better than McDonalds. I was kind of proud to know that I wasn't included in her warning.

We got inside and waited for quite a while for our rolls and drinks. I had a French Martini and after a while we finally got to order. It honestly burned me up hearing people struggle with the names of the dishes and I even ordered for a friend of mine. They were out of one of the things I'd wanted to order so I had to settle for the Piagnina Romagnola, which I do not reccomend.

Once again this is a picture I took using mirrors and the flash to make me look all kinds of crazy.

I did however make a good choice with the Quaglie Ripiene, which were very tasty. After that we made our way back to the limo. Lucas, like last time, was rather drunk and demanded beer. He bought beer and then Deborah hid it from him and he forgot he'd bought it. Poor guy.

Dave became a raving twit because he didnt have a cigarette for two hours and cussed up a storm in his unendearing fashion. After he got it he began coughing horribly and hacking things up which was just as bad as him yelling about needing a cigarette.

After that things calmed down and the women talked of their babies and of their husbands, and the men were largely szonked from liquer, and Karen passed out agaisnt the door.

I lost a Christmas gift someone had given me and then went home and got online, so this has indeed been a fine day.

December 23

Today I had to work but it went pretty well. Lucas wanted to do something special for the porch rockers and so we each made some neat stuff. I made cheese and crab wontons, pizzatini, italian beef dip and a cheese plate with real parmesan, and Lucas made some deviled eggs which for some reason Deborah and Angie hated. Curry and girls dont mix I guess.

After work Charlie and Blake came by and we all went to KFC, which was horrible. Blake got some chicken that he didnt really need and would later get hidden under some clothes. That wasn't the bad part though.

Now apparently the cashier knew me. I appologized for coming in late because I know how much it sucks when you interupt a restaurant crew thats trying to close. Anyhow I tried to recall her but I couldn't so I just tried to be friendly and polite. Most likely she knew me from high school. Noone knows me from my books yet, I can scarely imagine what that'll be like.

Well Blake and I were talking to her, and she was rather good looking, which proved to be the final spark that ighnited the disaster that had been waiting to explode. Charlie came in and asked if they'd put chicken grease on the floor. The gallant cashier, unabashed, responded that they had not.

Charlie then suggested they put down salt or grit. On the floor. Inside the restaurant. He then proceded to feign slipping several more times than was necessary. All this our fellow sufferer took in stride. Then Charlie asked her to come sit on a bike while he photographed her and said she didnt necessarily need to be naked.

Blake and I tried to get rid of him but he kept going, offering payment and god knows what else. Then he made sure everyone knew we were with him. It was at this point that Blake and I reached a consensus that a strategic retreat was necessary so that we wouldnt be arrested as accessories to horrific sexual harassment when the cops came.

During the ride home Blake decided to sue Charlie for sexual harassment and making him uncomfortable, I think I'm a party in the lawsuit and if it ever goes through we won't be rich, but I'm sure we can reposess all of the yard junk as payment, and that stuff has to be worth AT LEAST ten bucks.

I figure me and Blake will fight for it.

What day is it? * Who are you? * Where am I? 
Can anybody hear me?