after all that we've been through, i know we're cool

The weekend wrapped up with a ban - while I accomplished nothing on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, I was both social and productive today! Claudia came over and we had brunch at Stacks in Menlo Park; the wait time was surprisingly short (neither of us had finished the complimentary cup of coffee they provide for people waiting outside, since the wait is normally >20mins for Sunday brunch and we probably waited for seven). Even though Stacks is no Peter's Cafe, it's still tasty, and it's significantly closer to my apartment. So we hung out at Stacks and caught up some more, then came back to my apartment and had a cup of tea like civilized people (rather than like the heathens we are).

Around 1pm, Vidya called and decided to come over, and I thought it would be appropriate to make chocolate chip chewies, which I haven't made in months. Claude and I ran around the corner to buy eggs, and I made cookies while Vidya laid on the floor under my big down comforter nursing her mysteriously sore neck. This detail is not necessary, but I include it for the people who read my blog to keep track of Vidya - she had a nice weekend as well, with a fun Thanksgiving dinner, some extreme socializing/dancing on Friday night, and now a mysteriously stiff neck which seemed to be causing her an annoying degree of pain. Anyway, we hung out for a couple of hours and ate a lot of cookie, at which point Vidya and Claudia both left.

Upon being left to my own devices, I talked to my parents for awhile, as is my Sunday afternoon tradition. I also talked to my brother for a little bit, which is much more unusual, but not unwelcome. Then, I talked to Katie for the first time in a couple of months - it was great to catch up with her, and I enjoyed laughing at her expense as we discussed how the worst romance novel in the history of English letters ('The Prince of Midnight' by Laura Kinsale, in which the hero is half-deaf, suffers from ridiculous vertigo that almost kills him on a boatride across the Channel, and keeps a wolf named Nemo as his pet - and which I found out inexplicably got 4.5 stars on Amazon, which proves that humanity is in decline) was one of the few things that Katie managed to save when she fled New Orleans in advance of Hurricane Katrina. I found another copy of it in a used bookstore here a few weeks ago, as though I had been drawn to it - but with Fabio's magnetic masculinity emblazoned on the cover, how could I not be lured in? Anyway, it was quite lovely to talk to her, and we spent a few minutes indulging in plans to someday live in the same town, turn into Lorena and Jackie, and generally have wildly-eccentric and amusing lives.

I spent the rest of the night running errands, taking care of some stuff that I need to do before going to Hyderabad, and trying on my Christmas party dress and inviting Oniel to go with me. The party is the night that I get back from Hyderabad, so I probably won't need to drink because I'll be so strung out on jetlag. I'm both looking forward to and dreading the trip - looking forward because I have a lot of friends over there, I like Hyderabad, and I like the group that I'm going with, but dreading because it's a really long trip, I don't deal well with jetlag, and I have a lot to do both before and after I go. However, now is not the time to complain - I'm going regardless, and I'm sure that as soon as I get there, I'll be v. excited. For now, though, I should go to bed. Goodnight!