The You-Know-Who Is Back

Well hello there, everyone.

So... where have you all been?

Just kidding. :c) It's nice to be back.

So much has happened the past two months - far too much for a single post. 

So... I will start small. And upbeat. :c)

I want to thank everyone who has reached out the past few months, either through email, text, or a blog comment. And I apologize for taking so long to respond. It was not from a lack of apprecation, I assure you.

 I particularly want to offer my heartfelt thanks to my dear friends Halle, Alice, and, above all, April, who has been there every time without fail. Thank you, ladies. I love you all.

It's been a very challenging period. I prefer not to share all of what transpired, but in a future post I'll touch on some of the less-favorable events.

Fortunately, there were some positive things have happened as well. So I thought I would start with one of those things - which happened on Thursday, as a matter of fact. 

I'm doing so at the suggestion of my dear friend Alice, who has recently started her own blog, which you really must check out as soon as possible. You will be grateful you did. :c)

So, what did I do on Thursday?

I attended my first baby shower. :c)

(When I sent my fellow smartass (and aspring comedienne) April a text informing her of this occasion, she promptly replied "OMG - you're pregnant!!!" Ho, ho, ho, it is to laugh. I replied that being single my entire life, the details of procreation are a biit fuzzy to me, but that I'm fairly certain that the process does involve someone other than myself. I have so much to learn...)

Moving on... my work colleague A (who has graced this blog previously) and her husband are expecting their first child in a matter of days.

My friends R and S were kind enough to invite me to attend the baby shower they planned with O, R, and several other colleagues.

It was a lovely time. A is a sweetheart, and was genuinely suprised - and touched - when she arrived. We had some pizza, followed by an amazing cheesecake that the multi-talented R made at home. Some attendees (who shall remain initial-less ;D) decided to indulge with a second slice once I declared that this was a shame-free zone. Someone had to do it, after all.

We played a number of games, including several that involve words (a puzzle and a word scramble), both of which saw what passes for my butt get thoroughly kicked. 

But irony of ironies, when we moved on to a game that involved both math (my personal kryptonite) *and* shopping for baby-related items (also not a strength for a lifelong bachelorette, as you might imagine), I somehow stumbled to a victory, in the greatest upset since the '69 Miracle Mets.

The winner of each game received a prize. I was considering a coffee mug, until M suggested I consider another option - the only sensible option during winter 2015 in frosty, blizzard-bedeviled Beantown, a/k/a Snowpocalypse Central:

Yup: earmuffs!

(How awful has this winter been? It was too cold to take this photo outside. Need I say more? lol)

***

Well, I think this post is drawing to a close. I have a rather large backlog of material to post about; I will do my best to get them up on the Interwebs.

Continuing the let's-think-positive theme, the next post will be a joint effort between myself and Miss April. Stay tuned. Check in early; no doubt the ensuing rush to read our collective pearls of wisdom will likely crash the Internet, so be prepared!

***

Today's musical accompaniment comes from one of my very favorite bands, Punch Brothers, who just released a stellar new album, The Phosphorescent Blues. 

Inspiration for this choice belongs to  new reader C (assuming she was able to decipher what passes for my handwriting, that is), who, along with your humble blogstress, is a fanatic follower of lead Punch Brother Chris Thile in all of his varied musical incarnations. 

The band recently appeared on A Prairie Home Companion, and delivered their typical combination of fearless musical experimentation and jaw-dropping instrumental prowess.

Enjoy, all!

 

Wow... just... wow. :D I'm seeing them in a few weeks; pretty much that alone is what is getting me through this endless winter!