ILMBFFAMS

I spent the weekend with Abbey while she housesat for a family in north Jersey. In 8th-grade slumber party style, we watched lots of classy movies (Transformers, John Tucker Must Die, Elf, and Closer), ordered Chinese food, and played Guitar Hero III (actually, she played and I watched, because I'm pretty much a failure at that game). In non-8th-grade style, because we were good kids back then, we ate at a Mexican and Irish cocina and pub called Jose O'Reilly's and washed down our dinner with no less than five glasses of sangria and two beers. JOR, as we now call it, is one of the only places I can think of where you can order shepard's pie AND quesadillas. It's also about a block away from the house Abbey was watching. Therefore, we didn't put up much of a fight when the waitress persuaded us to order a pitcher of sangria, or when the owner bought us another glass each and ushered us to the bar. It was about at this point that John Tucker Must Die began to sound like a good movie to watch.

We also bought matching PJs at the mall, which we had to wear at the same time so Justin could take our picture in the Palisades scenic overlook. Yeah, we're dorks like that.

Happy Halloween!

In what is becoming an annual tradition (or at least a pick-up from where my parents left off) I had a pumpkin-carving/Halloween party at my apartment on Saturday. Just a few people showed up to the event last year, but attendance this year was considerably larger. Although, we've got to do a better job of actually carving our pumpkins. Mine and Abbey's remained untouched on my balcony, most likely because playing with sharp knives doesn't seem like such a good idea after a few drinks. This was probably a good move on our part. The night was great, though, and so were the costumes. Here are some pictures:

The Last Domino...

aka John Orr, aka, Amy's new boyfriend, has been staying with me this week. John is on a two-week tour as a one-man band and is here for three NY shows. The strange part is that I've never met him before this trip, although through phone calls and conversations with Amy, I was pretty sure he was a good guy. And I was right. Abbey, Mason and I went to his Manhattan show on Wednesday night and were really impressed.

He leaves Sunday morning for North Carolina, followed by Tennessee and then back home to Indy. Getting to know him without Amy around seemed a bit unorthodox at first, but it's been kind of nice as well.

Lucky October 16

I feel old. Stephen – my longtime neighbor, little brother of one of my best friends, Lindsay, and pretty much my honorary second brother while growing up – is engaged. I always get these shocks of reality as my brother’s friends pass certain landmarks. These “little” kids driving, graduating from high school, showing up in the same bars as me, getting their degrees, and now, marriage? Even though they haven’t been “little” in years, it’s still strange to think of them as actual adults. Maybe it’s because I still struggle with thinking of myself as an adult. Or maybe it’s because I feel like they’re catching up to my generation. Or is it just that we’re slowing down?

Anyway, back to Stephen, who proposed to his girlfriend Janelle on Tuesday, which, coincidentally, is the same day Lindsay got engaged two years ago. It’s the birthday of Lindsay’s husband, Chris (aka Trep). I’m told that the ring is also from Lindsay’s jeweler. Now, if the wedding date is set for December 22, I’ll have to question this coincidence thing. But at least I know that whether they’re catching up or trailing close behind, they’re following some good steps. Congrats, Stephen!

Best. Weekend. Ever.

And if it wasn't the absolute best, it was pretty close. Abbey, Amy and I took Friday off of work and all flew into Tampa from our new homes on Thursday night for a weekend at my parent's house in Gulfport. Our itinerary was pretty complex: beaching, eating, shopping, and drinking, and we accomplished it all. Seriously, though, it was one of the most equally relaxing and exciting weekends I've ever had. We never rushed anywhere or stressed about anything. My mom made us some great food. My brother took two days off to drive us around. And I got to hang out with the people who are probably the five most important ones in my life. Some highlights:

The beaches: We went to Sunset Beach and St. Pete Beach, both within 15-20 minutes of my parent's house. The weather was gorgeous all weekend and we all were a little red by the end of the trip. The only downside to our beach-going was a HUGE school of fish that had to be crossed before entering deeper waters. We all did it, but not without some screaming. And my fear of the ocean wouldn't let me stay out too long before thinking something was circling around my feet.

NEPB at OG: If you're not hip to the language of Abbey, this stands for the never-ending pasta bowl at Olive Garden, one of our favorite restaurants, or rather challenges, in the fall. Amy told Abbey earlier in the day that she could eat more bowls than her. This, of course, meant war. So the two trash talked for the rest of the day and throughout dinner as they struggled to stuff just one more fork of pasta into their mouths. Their arguing left room for a silent challenger to take the lead. That's right, my mom beat them both, finishing two whole bowls and making us all question where on her little body she put it all.

POM: Or Puddle of Mudd. As we left a bar in St. Pete on Saturday night, we walked by two tour buses. Abbey and I continued to walk by, but somehow, Amy struck up a conversation with a girl poking her head outside the bus window. Before we knew it, Amy was on the bus peeing. Then I was on the bus peeing. We chatted a bit with the band's bassist and who I assume were a bunch of roadies. Amy told him the lead singer was a Nirvana wannabe and we were back on our way. We didn't really realize how cool of a situation we were in until the next morning, even though I'm hardly a fan.

Swimming while drunk: Don't do it. At least don't jump into the deep end when you can't even walk straight. Abbey and Amy learned this the hard way.

I think this will have to become an annual tradition.