(no subject)

Well, the hotel bed wasn't bad at all and the hotel breakfast was delicious, so now I'm just hanging out in the room while Mum goes swimming. She's very excited about all that there is to see and do, and very much wanted to go to Legoland even though it won't be open for another month (I am my mother's child). Instead we are going to Costco, which is almost as much fun, to get me a Costco card and buy meat and bread and, apparently, a cuisinart. I don't know why I need a cuisinart, I have a cuisinart-mini-chopper, but Mum's pretty insistent.

My mother, god bless her soul, is usually drawn to the cheapest, gaudiest, and/or least entertaining entertainment in the land. I swear to you, she drove past a billboard for Shakespeare In The Park every day on her way to work but when I was visiting she decided that we should go see skit night at the Georgetown Community Theater. I later immortalised this evening as the worst night of theatre I have ever seen, the standard by which all other bad theatre will be judged. I live in Chicago, which has several of the most most amazing shopping malls in existence, but the one we're actually going to is a suburban mall in Schaumberg. I could go on in this vein.

It's not really upsetting or annoying, at least now that I don't live with her anymore. I think the term for what I feel is "exasperated affection".

(no subject)

Mum just asked my stepfather, "And the rocks? Did you remember the rocks?" in a tone of voice once reserved for asking me, as a small child, if I'd washed my hands.

When I pointed out that she had just inquired about rocks, she said, "Well, so, I bought this bucket."

This is the point at which I started laughing. And I laughed all the way through the monologue about how it was a really nice bucket and she bought it for herself because she needs to have a bucket, and she really likes her bucket, but Dad went and filled HER bucket with rocks from the land to give to Mama Tickey for her garden, and she wants him to deliver the rocks so she can get her bucket back.

By the end of this I was in tears, I don't even know why; I think it's just that "rocks" and "bucket" are both really funny words, especially when combined with a mother's righteous indignation.

No. I have no idea why she needs a bucket. And I'd prefer not to inquire.

(no subject)

I have trousers!

We went clothes shopping and had french fries and got me a Costco card and bought tickets to see the Smart House at the Museum of Science and Industry tomorrow. And now Mum is asleep and I'm downloading Doctor Who, which I won't get to watch until Sunday night, alas.

Mum has decided in lieu of a job she's going to Go Green. This would be frustrating if I weren't used to her abruptly deciding that stuff I've been doing for years is a good idea. I had to fight her tooth and nail to convince her that no, I didn't need or want a car, a flat that would require me to use a car to get anywhere, or a job anywhere that required driving. Now she's trying to decide whether to get rid of her GIANTIC TANK OF A CAR and get a small car that is more fuel-efficient.

Those of you who were around for the Big Car War I had with Mum, feel free to laugh.

Anyway, the point is that she is going green, which is great, and she no longer feels the daily urge to try and coerce me into getting a car.

Instead, I got trousers. YAY!

(no subject)

OMG such a delicious dinner had we at the Weber Kettle Grill in Schaumberg. Blue-cheese hamburger, bbq ribs and chicken, bourbon baked beans, grilled bread rolls, and french fries -- we sort of ordered a bunch of stuff and shared it. AND we got free chocolate cake for dessert because our waiter decided to ignore us for the larger party sitting nearby. Normally I cut waiters a lot of slack -- a LOT of slack -- but he walked directly past our table with nothing in his hands three times while we were waiting to order, and didn't even look at us.

So I flagged down a lovely woman who promptly took out her pad to note our order. Which of course was when our waiter noticed he was about to lose his tip and showed up, but as she'd already taken our order all he could do was bring us a bowl for our rib bones and try to suck up a bit. We ended up grabbing our waitress again and asking her name so that we could tell the manager what a great job she'd done -- at which point she sent the manager over so we could do it in person, and the manager gave us a free dessert, so all was well.

Having worked in service, I know how easy it is to believe that patron complaints will be ignored and you don't really have to provide top service. I don't buy into it, but I understand how others do. So it was really nice to see that the manager actually gave a damn about keeping us happy while we were still there, since really she could have ignored our dissatisfaction without much repercussion.

Also, they've started serving a tangy cheese spread as well as butter with their bread rolls. I don't know what to make of it precisely, but after the initial surprise it was pretty delicious.

I'm gonna go die of food now.