Tabletop view of what gaming looks like when John DMs.
Innyway, this is supposed to be a WARMER check-in. The new tally sheet is off to the right. Yesterday was the first all-green day in a while. Art is still the reddest column, and reading is the greenest. Overall, its a bit shabbier than I had expected it to be.
When I made up the WARMER acronym (with Coco's help!), I didn't expect it to get confused with the weather forecast, but it easily could. Here's the last week:
As I have mentioned before, us mossbacks get pretty indolent in this truly summery weather. Coco and I can spend an hour just eating some watermelon and looking out the window. That has been one source of the red paint on the tally sheet.
On the other hand, this was a hella busy week for stuff that doesn't show up in the stats: my online classes, of course; meeting a pal and his gal to introduce her to the world of D&D; a dentist appointment; meeting a pal from California for drinks; meeting some pals for dinner; doing some assessment work for a research grant; meeting some pals from Massachusetts for an evening; running a D&D session; playing in a D&D session; and the rest of life, liberty, and the pursuit of housekeeping.
Oh, and one other item: a long, leisurely dinner at Canlis. This restaurant has long been on the bucket list: it is ranked as one of the top 20 restaurants in America by Gourmet Magazine and called "Seattle's fanciest, finest restaurant"by the New York Times and "a dressy, fine dining restaurant" on its own website. Sissy, NatDog, and I splurged on this extravagance to celebrate two things: our joint advancement to Senior Tenured Faculty at our institution and Sissy's birthday.
It was extraordinary. I am not a foodie and I come from a working-class background, but this place was beyond excellent. From the view, the ambience, and the service to the food and wine, everything was top-drawer. Valet parking with no ticket stub. A hostess who addresses you by name. Hat check. Teams of servers, all kind and courteous and not the least bit unctuous or pretentious. Small artsy hors d'oeuvre that melt in your mouth. Champagne that tickles the palate. A sweet beet salad that as tasty as it is colorful. The Platonic Ideal of grilled salmon. Dessert that practically floats. Real brewed coffee. Your car magically appearing when you walk out after the meal. In fact, it was all so good that my Catholic Worker reflex kicked in and I began to feel a little guilty, as if I was mixing with, if not the 1%, then at least the 5%.
But only a little guilty. It was that good.
I believe we were at the table on the right.
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