Last week wrapped up with a fun evening out with Shana, Angel, and Patrick over at Kate, Katie, and Beth's place for an evening of drinks and a viewing of The Hot Chick. Yeah, well, it wasn't may choice. That being said, it was actually fairly enjoyable. The evening was fun and I definitely needed a night away from work and all the normal things I fill my time with. I'm happy to have a group of people I can really relax with. I dropped Shana at home afterwards and then ended up staying up until about three o'clock, so I slept in until a little after eleven. That was nice.

Of course, as soon as I opened my eyes I remembered that I'd planned to help Will and Johanna move...beginning at nine that morning. Whoops. Well, at least I hadn't told them that I'd be there, so it doesn't look like I wussed out. As I was preparing to get moving and go to the gym I received a call from Elizabeth -- whom I had promised to help move that afternoon -- she said she could get the van earlier than planned so we could get started earlier. This meant that I couldn't go to the gym because I'd definitely be late to her place if I did, so I spent the early afternoon watching a DVD of Lewis Black that Brian lent me. Ah, he's a funny guy.

I got lost in beautiful (Ack!) Renton and wound up getting to Elizabeth's a bit later than planned. Still, there was plenty to move. It was a bit awkward, though, because we were moving her out of her and her soon-to-be-ex-husband's apartment. He was helping move, too, which I thought qualified as above and beyond, but it all went fine and we had everything loaded in about two hours. We unloaded at her new place in about a quarter of that time because many of her things were going into storage in a garage. Afterwards we talked and ate some pizza. Around eight o'clock I left, changed, and went to the gym. It's surprising how few people go to the gym on a Saturday evening.

Okay, maybe it's not. Well, I was one of them and it had been two weeks since I'd last been to the gym, so I wasn't slacking any longer. I honestly can't tell you how AMAZED I am by the fact that I hadn't put on a bunch of weight. The past couple of weeks I've been as bad with food as before I starting going to the gym. Well, maybe not that bad, but I've been pretty damn bad.

Sunday I got up, went to the gym (yes, again) and then went downtown to meet Shane and Cathy for our weekly comic buying excursion. Our talk turned to Halloween and they mentioned a costume shop they wanted to check out, so we hopped in my car and drove to the Northgate Mall area and went where they'd mentioned. It was a great store and I have my costume started. I don't want to talk about it here, but I'll try to post pictures after the party I'm going to.

Oh, here's the best thing overheard at the costume store. One of the clerks, a nice, middle-aged balding fellow with a pen stuck through his forehead (he does makeup at the store, so it was a costume wound, not a real one) was talking to someone at the makeup counter and he said, "The only time I've ever had a kid screaming in fear wasn't because of one of the gross, bloody wounds like this one," as he touched his pen-wound, "nope, it was when I made up someone as a clown." I thought that was great. What is it about clowns that freaks people out so badly? I am completely at a loss, because when I was a kid, my room was decorated in clowns. I loved 'em. Anyway, Shane, Cathy and I laughed about that and knew we'd have to tell Shana (who's afraid of clowns) when we saw her next.

I was supposed to run my D&D game tonight, but a couple people didn't show up, so it was shelved and instead I went to see Intolerable Cruelty. It was not quite the romantic comedy it's billed as, but it was a romantic comedy with a bit of black comedy thrown in. It was much better than I'd feared. Worth the price of admission? Sure. Worth the price of a matinee? Definitely.

Now I'm blogging and getting ready to do some shopping before I go home and sleep.

Oh, Seth called this weekend and told me that he (and possibley Dr. Chris) will be out in New York for a convention that a former co-worker of Seth's is on the organizing board for. I'd like to get out there and spend some time with them in the city. It looks like it will fall around the middle of the month, so I'd better start looking now for some good rates.

I also forgot to mention that I cleaned off a bookshelf in my apartment. This is the first step in moving my desk and computers from my bedroom out to the living room and the bookcase into the bedroom. I also plan to get a new computer to put on the soon-to-moved desk. I'd like to get this all taken care of in the next week or so.

Yesterday was my eldest nephew's twelfth birthday. I'm very sad that I wasn't able to be there. In 1991, October 18th was first day it snowed in Madison. I was living with some friends above a hairstylists on Old University in an apartment that my friends and I still refer to as The Center of the Universe, or C.O.T.U., because we all spent so much time there. It's amazing that it's been that long.