Back at Red Lobster

Last Edit June 25, 1999

(4/20/99)
And we get....
Amanda again!
Poor girl!
Seven of us.
Going for a record.
We've already driven away one table (well, they were done). We are in the back area - and there are tables near us that other patrons look at, see us, and leave. Why they put us in the back and near a wall.
Sugar packets are now grouped and thrown --- blue amid pink -- around the table, in hair, pockets and on the floor.
Children at play.
We do pick them up - when we can find them.
The boys do anyway.
We hit on Amanda again. My son is still dateless.
Then discuss Microsoft, television, Beanie Babies, Barney, Barbie and Arthur. Yea gads. Talking toys hooked to the computer. Whatever happened to using your imagination to make toys talk.
We discover we have whips, chains and rubbers (boots).
Do you know that at Frys Electronics Store (the shopping mall for nerds) at the checkout, they have candy, aspirin, Tylenol, condoms, Pepto Bismal and laxatives.
Is there a message in there somewhere? About today's engineers?
A fan emailed me - she spent hours sitting in a restaurant near Fabio - bruised at the next table - talking to her for free.
He had dissipating bruises around the eyes and said he flew home by private jet because reporters were staked out at the airport. He didn't want his mother upset.
But they already had footage from the park running on every channel.
I had fun this weekend finding articles and checking links (news stories come and go at will or move around - I can't always keep up with them). Then I copied some of the stories onto my site and talked back to them. I enjoyed that. It's easy. And I can't stand sloppy writing. (It wasn't a pigeon.... He did to require stitches.... The goose died....)
And piece, by piece, I have the story.
He evidently talked about it to her quite a lot. Probably like he talked about winning the lawsuit to me. He gets animated. Wants you to share the feeling.
Imagine sitting in a restaurant for hours -- lucky girls. Maybe I should visit LA. Beats waiting on an e-mail.
Dan is teaching Van (a Russian) how to eat crab legs. And crab claws. He's new at it.
Buckets abound and they are going for a record - they think.
I have a coupon for desert.
I had a bite of chocolate pecan cake I made earlier so I had better behave now.
I have salmon and butterflied shrimp. Love the shrimp. Salad and veggies.
And of course, decaf.
Boring stuff.
But...
I went to my face doctor today. He says I am healing (it has now been nine months) Says it will take a year. [Note - if you are thinking about laser resurfacing - don't!]
Says I am better. Of course the brown spots are coming merrily back (due to Estrogen - not sun) and I can't ever tan (yuck). Of course the doctor that peeled my lip left that scarred without the ability to tan so I can't tan anyway (or I look like a raccoon).
Yes. Now instead of super-fragile skin I have acne.
I still glow red when warm (and this is a good thing they tell me) when over-cafinated or overheated.
I break out - I never had acne before. Not like this. I get red blotches all over the face. My skin does not like the facial bleach nor the sun block he has me using.
The clogged pores are a royal pain.
SO he gives me Retin-A and some blue goop I am to try. (Haven't had time yet.)
Great.
Now I have facial bleach after cleansing, and then sun block. At night (every other day) I cleanse, use RetinA and the odd day I cleanse and use the blue goop. The bleach is day and night.
And Lipotec acid eye therapy morning and night.
Don't put RetinA on the eye lids.
Frown lines coming back - takes a brow lift. Scowl lines? They can cut the facial muscle.
On top of this - makeup to cover the red blotches.
I'll stick to Dermablend, corn silk and colorstay.
The Doctor seems to think I have lots of time morning and evening to play with my face. The surgery was to reduce the amount of time I took to get ready in the morning. Not increase it!
So he trys for the guilt trip. The care I take now....
How about this? A second opinion.
They are now discussing butter, I Can't Believe it not butter and a need for wet-naps. This leads to Depends and my son contributes a number of very bad puns (depend-able...)
They've run out of crab at our table - bad sign - Amanda is swamped (Kelly is out today) - we try to be nice.
They discuss whether my son has his meat all zipped up as it were.
Another bad pun.
Did you know that puns are a sign of intelligence? You'd never believe it seeing this group.
They are now revving up Vin - too slow since he's new - new crab eaters dawdle.
Hot crab comes - the platter empties as soon as it hits the table.
Crab shell flies everywhere.
My son performs a crab whiskers routine.
He took some of the 15 rolls of film from Disneyland to school but won't discuss it with me,
He was late turning it in - had a class A temper tantrum Thursday night because I hadn't picked it up - I had a burst blood vessel in my eye and the other one was weakened so I didn't brave the drive. I hadn't been told I had a deadline.
Yikes!
Touchy senior.
I had to discuss abusive misconduct towards women . Train him right. I don't like being given orders - requests please. And I don't tolerate the assumption that I can read minds.
He has recovered. He made amends.
He set up the Go-Deck from QVC .
He was also sick - boys are crabby when sick....Oh! Bad Pun!
Dan reacts to a salty crab leg... I guess it can be really bad. It's why they get coke by the pitcher.
Missed that photo op - my eyes are still recovering from the earlier shots. And my eye is now yellow. Cindy is loaded. Two rolls of film shot tonight.
I was a bad girl today.
Since I was right at the Stoneridge shopping mall (big mall) I had to go in.
Power shopping.
Sale at Sears.
Denuded a mannequin again. Is that denuding or dr4ssing? I made it nude and then redressed it in another size. - actually I was helping the clerk.
I got into size M - 12! Yikes.
Skirts (3) tops (2) jacket (1) - all for under $250. Black - one skirt in a print.
I like sales. I do! I do!
Now I have to behave on my diet. These are really nice things. Professional. But also well fitting.
Clothes for Toronto.
Clingy. One is slit op the side.
The suit is elegant. I now have four of them.
I didn't walk at lunch - I walked the mall instead.
And yesterday I did 3.5 hours mowing with a weed eater - it's been awhile. Six months. Deep grass.
I took an Aleive to get my arms back to a painless state.
Saturday I was on my hands and knees picking popcorn kernels out of the new white rug (Berber) in my son's room (under the plastic chair mat) The equivalent of three Phds and I am on the floor while my son sleeps!
I raked his room. Literally (he didn't work - he was really sick)
Let's see how long we can keep it neat. Bags of trash. Bags of soda cans and dirty dishes.
Progress - he has managed to return forks to the sink.
I cleaned to the hallway.
The kitchen floor is a mess. So is the family room. The G3 light is blinking at me. If I get the laundry done....
Vin checks out - he had forgotten that he should not have eaten lunch.
Dan gets a fudge -apple overboard combination.
I offer to have a bite of his thing.
The apple thing.
Cathy tries for a bite of warm apple - but he ignores her. Sometimes men can be so annoying. I am trying to get a spoon into my son's desert.
Cindy is getting incriminating pictures.
My son's fudge overboard is melting - he's not finished with crab.
SO.... Cathy and I share it - brownie and ice-cream.
We get him another.
After he's done eating crab.
We know when he's done because we poke him with a fork.
We talk about this while Mikey eats ice-cream with one hand and crab with the other.
In all the confusion, the bill is wrong.
We fetch Amanda to fix it (wrong table).
She has our coupon too.
A little short.
We get the right one. One busters and two chocolate monsters - and here I had been sooo good!
All that walking!
Made me hungry when it gets after 9PM. I need to adjust my body to motion.
My body will get even. All that ice-scream (one half scoop).
I will need lactate when I get home.
And the chocolate will arrive on my face.
I will pay for this.
Sugar rush - caffeine in the coke I sip - headache. My body has declared war and I'm not even out of the restaurant.
Lots of water needed.
Lots.
Flush this out as soon as possible.
Vow to behave.
We are disappointed - they only had 30 crab cluster refills.
I am disappointed that I have so little willpower.