Last friday I stayed home and just sat around. I enjoyed excellent conversaton online, and even played some games. Went to sleep at 5 am. Woke up at 9 when Jake showed up. Talk about luck, I mean, it wasn't luck, I made plans to spend the day with Jake all week long, but I'd forget it the instant we talked about it. I swear, every two days I'd be talking to him, and he'd remind me and I'd be like, wow, cool, I'm so glad I didn't accidentally make other plans on Saturday, because I didn't remember at all.

Well... I had totally forgotten friday night. Until Chuck let him in Saturday morning, so, a little sick, I got up at 9 am, dressed and we left instantly. We stopped for a lite snack on the way into down town. I don't think I mentioned what the plans were. His dad is a part of a competition cooking team of electritions, the kilowatt kookers. Competition BBQ. So week before last, or last week, dont remember which, Jake told me about the competition and invited me to come along. To be honest, I was a bit nervous because he was talking about learning and being around real pros of the art of BBQ. I'm a decent little home cook, but what I do is like playing in the sandbox compared to what these guys are doing. Fortunately, they said they didn't want me doing anything before I ever met them. When I got there I mostly talked about games, and some cooking with Jake, I ate bbq just about every time I was remotely hungry.

Started with chipped beef or chicken sandwich. I went with the chicken. And had a beer, mostly because it was what everyone else was having, so I stomached it just to be polite. It was the only one of it's kind for the evening, after that it was mostly water, lots of water, plus a seabreeze(1 part vodka/1 part grapefruit), a kahluah and pepermint schnapps(2 parts kahluah, splash of schnapps), Apple martini, tasted a genuine quality cognac, I like cognac, a poor quality cape cod(1 part vodka(they used low quality vodka), 1 part cranberry juice), a parrot ice, splash of cherry liquer in a frozen lemonade. Now, back on that, it sounds like a lot, but it was spread out over 12 hours easily, and there were also Dr Peppers, Cokes, and once again LOTS of water throughout the day. A day that I only sat down to eat during while I ran around and burned lots of energy. Leave it to me to have access to multiple open bars and not get drunk over time. Woot, I'm not an alcoholic.

Well, we watched all kinds of cooking, one of the highlights of the day was the band that kept visiting our private party. It had more brass than the army. Horns, trumpets, saxaphones, and one or two other instruments. They played some of the sweetest jazz, and they played it loud. Easy tunes that drive you, beats that make your feet tap, and they played it all loud. Talking over it left me squeaking sunday... monday... and most of today. Maybe I'll have my voice back tomorrow or the next day. One does hope.

Later that day we walked around, looked at other booths. The Jack Daniels booth was giving out bandanas, they were tying them on as armbands, and doo rags, and they gave us both one as an armband. It was very nice, and then we got back and we watched the cooking, and preperation of pico de gallo. One of the guys pulled out an onion, tomatoes, cilantro, lime, and jalapeno and he was wicked fast with his knife. In no time flat he had diced his pico de gallo from scratch. He mixed it plane, then made 4/5 of it hot by mixing in jalapenos, then made medium by mixing a little bit of the two. Later on other people were cutting apples and pineapples.. apple for apple cobler, and pineapples for straight up grilling (I missed the apple cobler, sadly), and whiile everyone else was slowly slicing and coring the apples, this guy just got all showy and did his whole pile in just a few seconds. His name was David, and he'd been a chef for 13 years. I want to be like that guy with a knife, practically surgical.

Then we went to go eat, ribs that were sweet as honey, brisket that was flavorful and delicious, the chicken was ssweet and tender, (it was ALL better fresh of the chop block, but those were exclusive backstage privledges... 10 times better), sausage was spicy, baked beans were awesome, as well sa the potato salad. I ate so much when dinner actually happened that I got a little sick. I wish... I wish I could have just tasted the food, because becomming full on that food seemed to be a crime. As though it were so delicious, that tasting it was a delectable activity all it's own, with awesome party music blaring in a tent full of smoke from the smokers. It was something akin to paradise to spend it with a friend. I can't thank Jake enough for bringing me.

After dinner, Jake and I hung out in the back again, when Jakes dad said that he had an invitation to another private party and that we were welcome to go if we wanted. We took the invitation and walked through the rain, oh yeah, it was sprinkling ain all day, my shoes were soaked through long before we left, because we didnt let that keep us in, and it was about 40 to 50 degrees, so the best place to stand most of the day was next to the fireboxes on the smokers, and we went to one of the most eye catching booths, with multiple fake mountains with red glowing lights inside. We had seen it earlier and it had particularly taken my attention, just my luck that we actually got to go into it, with a fire lamp in the center, uncovered though, so exposed to the light rain while they slow roasted an entire pig on a giant spit. I REALLY wish I had stayed for that.

Turns out they were competition winners... for skits. They had a funny act, with such sayings as, "we mountain men are not proud of our meat. Well, that's not true, but our meat, is quite simply, easy to beat, " pun intended. They even had a fake snow machine, blowing off suds into the air adding awesome atmosphere, especially at night. This was where I had the cape cod with the lousy vodka. Well, not lousy, but I've gotten spoiled on really good vodka in mixed drinks as I'm very particular now, as I'm not particularly fond of the flavor of alcohol, but in the right mixtures it can add something nice to a drink. And the meat, was good, but by no means competition good. However, they did more than make up for it, and it was very enjoyable to stick around and watch it.

Whenever we were walking, every tent we passed, wooden front, or straight up tent, had loud enough music that it could be heard from the street, people were dancing and it was simply wonderful.

We ended up leaving at 9:30... and sadly, on the the way out, after all the thank you's were said, I lost my bandana. Alas, maybe next year. Jake says he'll invite me again. The ride home was uneventful except for lots of talking about the evening. Wasnt till I got home that I realized that the combined forces of yelling all day and a phlegmy cold were taking out my voice. Either one of which would have been enough for most other peoples voice. Mine.. took them both.

All day sunday was literally spent in recovery, my calves were sore from all the standing and walking, my throat hurt, my caugh was really bad, and I had tons of drainage. I did play lots of Silent Storm, getting the cool armoured suits.

Monday was nice and busy. I finally got the title of my truck put into my name. Only cost 150, then I payed rent and electricity and cable, 375, together, both were larger than a single paycheck, so... I'm losing for the month and it hadn't actually started yet. On the other hand, I got a 30 dollar discount on my car insurance because of my move. I should have told them about that a year ago. Then I had to deliver a sample for work, and at work itself... I loafed and didn't go check on something. When I was reminded to do it, it was 6 and it was ready for me to do. I worked till 10:30 so that I didn't look like a jerk for waiting till 6 when I didn't have time to do it, and I could have done it at 2.

Got home just in time to say goodnight to Miss Taylor, and go to sleep for school today. Turns out I didn't miss anything last class, but I only got a 78 on my critical analysis paper. That's pretty disapointing, I was really proud of it. We finished Hamlet, and started reading A Doll House. I'm liking it so far. It's no Hamlet, but then, what is? After that I came home in time to relax a little, change for work and head off to finish cleaning from yesterday. After that, no responsibility. Met George at the grocery store and we got everything we needed to make fresh pico de gallo, like at the cookoff.

Before we left we stopped by EB Games where George bought a seriously wicked game on my recommendation, and I browsed the used games, promising I wouldnt buy anything. Till I found a copy of Blade Runner, one of the best adventure games ever made right at the end of the generation by Westwood Studios.. who no longer really exist. Chalk them up to the list that was bought up and dismantled by EA Games. We got up to the front, Blade Runner didn't have a tag, and my poor, not buying a game for two months, mouth said, " hehe, no tag on it, does that mean it's free?" James, being the incredibly kick ass dude that he was, looked at it, the run down cd only package of bladerunner, a 4 year old game, at least and just said sure, and then checked George out, charging him the full 40 for his game. Woohoo... so, I still haven't bought a game. I'm doing good. I had to get it because I've been wanting to play it, and suddenly all my copies were gone.

George is STILL playing his game. And I have to be honest, it looks REALLY awesome from here. Like a space opera with amazing stellar warfare. He's cracked it, so I'll be able to play it later on without the CDs. It's called Nexus: The Jupiter Incident. Frankly, tonight was an awesome find, my instinct calls a wicked cool game from a distance, yet again.

And that leaves me at right now. Tomorrow I'll do fun stuff and post links and have some fun. For right now, I'm done. Good night.