gurdymonkey | OK, who blew my cover to the TSA? (Reply)

I have the Grinch song stuck in my head.

OK, so Thursday was dinner at Yellowfin. Friday Elaine left me her car and caught a ride to work with Miriam. Weather was not looking conducive for a trip into DC, so I picked up Mom and we went and puttered around an antique mall that she likes. Interestingly, I came home with a gorgeous Japanese lacquer vase, a porcelain bowl with calligraphic decoration and three very pretty furoshiki (wrapping cloths) that were being sold as scarves. Everything good condition, inexpensive and some of it even discounted because the mall is closing down at the end of January. We lunched at the Double T Diner, Annapolis' answer to the 24 hour Greek-family-owned diner, complete with monster menu and giant glass case full of Napoleons and eclairs by the register.

I went over to Miriam's after dropping Mom off, to find that Alex and the kids had baked me a birthday cake. Dad rolled in from New Jersey a bit late, so we all got Chinese take-out and the boys got to stay up a little later than usual. Brian (4) helped me blow out my candles, had a big scoop of ice cream and two bites of cake. It's the idea of cake rather than the cake itself that seems to appeal to him, but that kid can pack away the ice cream. Nicky (8) isn't into cake at all. I think he had a couple of Oreos instead.

Saturday, Elaine, Dad and I went into Washington to enjoy the offerings at the Freer and Sackler galleries. Dad enjoyed the Whistler small masterpieces in the basement. There was the obligatory visit to the Peacock Room. I geeked happily over the Asian holdings. There was an excellent exhibit of Chinese paintings based on classical literature, and the Sackler was showing the treasures from the Vani excavations, but the Price Collection show, featuring wonderful Edo period paintings, was the high point. I splurged on the exhibition catalogue. Sure, the Edo period postdates my primary area of interest, but the scrolls and screens in this collection were so gorgeous I had to. HAD TO, do you hear? We met Miriam, Alex and the boys at a kid-friendly Italian joint in Annapolis for dinner.

Sunday, I had lunch with Elaine, Patty and Alexis, then Elaine and I took Nicky to see The Golden Compass. While it suffers from the usual movie dilemma of trying to stuff a lot of information into a finite space, it is an opulent eyeful, particularly from the third row. Best part was definitely the fight between Iorek and Ragnar, and yeah, OK, I could happily listen to Sam Elliot read the weather report. Please don't ask me to explain, it's just nice to see him around again. Elaine and I spent the evening with the boys so Miriam and Alex could have a night out. We watched part of Flushed Away and I put Nicky to bed while Elaine took Brian. I read him some stories out of his book of Greek myths. (What sort of kid's book on Greek mythology doesn't have a picture of the Medusa in it, I ask you? Must find him a copy of D'aulaire. I know he'd love it.)

Alex and I picked up Brian from nursery school today, had lunch at McDonald's, then they took me to the airport.

Southwest obviously didn't leave a good electronic trail of breadcrumbs when they decided to honor my ATA ticket because once again, I was asked if I had already paid for my ticket and the ticket agent spent fifteen minutes trying to figure out what to do with me. Boarding pass acquired, I got tapped for a special pat-down and screening at security. Southwest doesn't have assigned seats. I ended up in the very last row on the leg from BWI to Chicago Midway and I ended up not reading for most of that part of the flight because the plane was bouncing around too much. I was able to move forward when we stopped and the Midway to Oakland leg was better. Karma fulfilled, I was the first one in line at the taxi stand, don't ask me how that happened!