TINA'S 65TH BIRTHDAY

Jared was getting buff and working out when I woke-up this morning. My back was still a little sketchy, but I think the ice treatment really worked. I have to remember to use it more often.

We decided to finally get lunch at Quiznos since we had a bunch of coupons. Their sandwiches are too small but they are actually very good.

I did some lightbulb switching in the afternoon, but before I knew it, it was time to leave for Tina's party in the Valley. But first, I stopped by Forest Lawn to visit pops and T. Apin. Then I went to Ikea to return the bulbs. They just took too long to warm-up to full strength.

When I got to Zita's, I worked on Bill's PC to get his anti-virus updated. Then we waited a little bit for Kimi, Juliette and Jerry to arrive. When they did, we all took the mini-van to Tina and Ron's.

These guys know how to party. They had a little red carpet set-up and Tina was dressed-up in a tiara with a little crown. It looked like her bat mitzvah or something. They had the entire backyard set-up like a little wedding ceremony. But basically, it was a drink fest. It was like all you can drink booze and beer all night long.

But first came the hors d'oeuvres. I didn't like the Greek grape leaves that wrapped around some kind of rice. I did like the shrimp, the skewered olive/feta/tomato and Juliette's caramelized onions on top of feta inside a little pastry. I knew if I wasn't careful, all that drinking would spoil the dinner.

Thankfully, dinner came and it was steak, lobster, roasted green beans, mashed potatoes, rice pilaf and some other things that were all delicious. I met some fun chicks at my table and one of them, Lori, was already cut-off. I'm not sure why Tina cut her off, but she wasn't allowed to drink any longer. I could see that her eyes were pretty glazed, but she was coherent enough to have some fun conversation.

Then there was her married and quite beautiful friend Jennifer. We got along great because she had actually done a little background acting in her past so we had some things to bitch and talk about. As the night progressed, we found ourselves alone since everyone moved their way inside because of the cool night air.

I sneaked some puffs and snorts throughout the evening and always tried to find an excuse to get people to drink more shots. Bill was pretty trashed and it was great that Aunt Pat didn't drink so she could drive us all home safely.

What a fun, fun night. I hope there will be more in the future.

(written 4/3/11)