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I work for what many people would consider a traditional, conservative, DC Beltway firm. And yet, when the ties come off and the wine flows a bit, we’re every bit as unconventional as the next. I love it.

This week, I got to play co-host to about 30 visiting colleagues from around the country. I have known some of these folks for years, and they are friends. The new ones fit right in, like we went to college together.

One activity we planned was a boat trip (with cocktails) on the San Francisco Bay. Although the water was a bit choppy and the winds fairly persistent, we had a blast. We whisked under the Bay Bridge, past the Ferry Building, and darted in and out of the Fisherman’s Wharf piers and around Alcatraz (with perfect sunset lighting and just-right clouds).

That night, we ate dinner at Moose’s in North Beach. After some very nice wine, we sat around and talked about what the plural for moose is and whether moose travel in herds or packs or caravans or whatever. (For the record, moose are not very exciting. Predictably, the plural for moose is…moose, and they travel in herds. There are MUCH more exciting names for groups of animals: a parliament of owls, a company of parrots, a dray or scurry of squirrels.)

I think its healthy to blur that line between coworkers and friends.

I was moving some images around on the computer this evening and ran across this terriffic image of my Dad. I took this while we were in Panama in 2002. This is just one of my favorite images from that trip, and also a good reminder of how fond I am of traditional gelatin silver prints 🙂 This image was taken on a hike in the overgrown tropical forests around Lake Gatun in the Canal Zone.

Old Crooked Head has it rough, or at least you would think so given how mouthy he can be some days. But just when his neediness seems ready to push you over the edge, he does something classically Buster-like and all is forgotten.

His favorite “awwwwwwwwwww” tactic is to roll onto his back in front of the fireplace. He will lie there patiently until Jeff or I rub his belly.

What a decadent (aka, quiet) evening. Jeff had to be in NYC, so I spent some quality ME time last night. It kicked off with the aforementioned scallop shell, and went straight into a rousing Happy Birthday song from Michigan (Jeff’s niece and nephews were amazing). Then I ordered Chinese food from Eric’s (good ol’ General’s chicken…still my favorite…still don’t know one general from the next).

On my way to the restaurant to pick up my food, I drove down 24th St. in Noe Valley and saw some of the cutest costumes. While all the adults were headed over the hill for a night of revelry in the Castro, the families were out in force on 24th St. Kids are adorable. And I got a big chuckle to see a kid (age 5?) wearing a Darth Vader costume. The helmet was so big that his head kept tilting to one side and then the next. And his dark robe dragged along the street. So funny.

Anyhow, I picked up my food, went home, lit the fire, and shut off all the lights. I popped in two DVDs. First was a DVD that made me misty: a DVD that my friend Cheryl assembled with photos from the Royal Caribbean cruise our group took in 1993. The images took me back to simpler days…although they didn’t seem simple at the time. Of course, looking at my big hair was a shock 🙂 Soooo, I followed up THAT horror with a suspense classic: Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window. This is one of my all time favorite movies–a love story and murder mystery tied together with voyeurism–sweet.

I ended the evening with not one, but two mini-cakes 🙂 Like I said…the evening was decadent. In a “John decadent” sort of way.

By the way. Buster was in HEAVEN last night. He curled up on my chest and purred all night.

Two unrelated Halloween items to wrap up my random brain activity for the day.

First. To remind me that age is relative, my folks sent me a beautiful fossilized scallop shell for my birthday. It is around 3 million years old, and it is spectacular in its detail. My father uncovered it near Petersburg, VA. It is one of the most amazing specimen that I have held. [Scale isn’t clear on this photo. The shell measures 5-6″ in each direction.]

Unrelated item #2–but VERY Halloween-ish: there is some crazy stuff in our basement. The previous owners of our house left behind numerous odds-and-ends in a tucked-away room of the basement that we don’t use. Out of strange curiosity, I have begun to document these items before we throw them away. I can tell you this–if someone uncovers the contents of THAT room 3 million years from today, they will be more than a bit puzzled about our 21st century habits.

Finally, my friends and family are the best. In addition to a fossil, I got e-cards that were spooky (boo), a mini-cake with candles, voice messages from far away, and a song over the phone that made me smile. Thank you 🙂