Friends and neighbors

Frank Sinatra just sang "What a day this has been!" on the radio, literally as I put my fingers on the keyboard to type, and that's as appropriate a start to this post as any could be. This day was indeed a good one, mostly because we are lucky enough to have good friends and good neighbors, sometimes at the same time!

First of all, I passed on heading up to campus and opted to stay at home today; this being the case, there was no reason not head down the block to O's and join in on the deluxe breakfast that she was preparing. Johnbai and Dingo, down from Cap Hill, and Kimosabe, O's roomie, joined in, and we were all treated to biscuits and tangerine juice and eggs bennie with just-made, homemade, whisk-made hollandaise sauce. Man, brekkies don't get no better'n that.

Otis was working most of midday, so she came by at the end of the meal for a quick visit. I floated back and forth along the alley visiting until all parties had left on various missions.

Still feeling social, we rousted Lon and Jules from their late-afternoon reverie across the property and enticed them come out for burgers and brew down at the Blue Star. With Jules still shaking the nap cobwebs out of her head, they came strolling down the walk just minutes later, ready to join us at Otis's usual doorbuster, earlybird dinner hour. We had a delightful evening chatting about everything from external hard drives to inspirational teachers, and stuffed ourselves with enough french fires to last me until March.

You can probably tell that I didn't get a lot of work done today, and there will certainly be a piper demanding to be paid tomorrow, but right now, it feels worth it. I'm lucky to have such warm and witty friends, and to have several of them right within arm's reach. How cool is that?

Besides, I'll get a lot of grading done tomorrow morning while Otis is at church with her mom.