It's Time for Weekend Update! With your anchorman......

This one may be a big one.

"Man I ate a Turkey sandwich at 2:00 A.M!" -- DM
Friday night I went to Solera. A restaurant in downtown Minneapolis that serves Tapas style food. Tapas are mini, no wait, micro portions of exotic foods. You are best to order them in several courses, 3 - 4 Tapas at a time. Some of the things we ordered included Octopus, Smoked Salmon with Trout Rho(trout eggs), something we affectionately called Shrimp Poppers and Patates Bravas(Spicy Potatoes with the rock salt left over from last winter's road deicing campaign). From the words I am using you might get the idea that I didn't like the place. I liked it a lot and the company was really good. I would suggest going in a group and taking your wallet. We had five people and we were able to try a variety of items. I don't think I would go again but, it was pretty cool for a one time thing. We were there from about 7:30 to 12:30/1:00. There is a chance you will be hungry at the end of a long night, hence the title of this section and what I did next. I had a cookie when I got home. :)

Dut dut duta duta dut dut dut dut dut!
I had cake Saturday night, oh and there was this going away party thing. Seriously, Marleta and Dain's going away party was a good time. Did I mention there was cake( I ordered it from Mrs.Rich's Bakery)? Quite a few people showed up and there was lots of story telling, good conversation and good jokes.
Marleta's sister organized the whole thing so big ups to her. I did get over the smoke inhalation.
I will post some pictures as soon as the bird in my Flintstone-matic gets through chipping the rocks. I have not made the leap to digi-pics yet. So I am old school like RUN-DMC.
There was some Dance Dance Revolution going on, Josh Travolta and Marleta Spears were tearing up the pads. I was doing my best Kool Moe Dee impersonation. I decided that I would just dance instead of trying to follow the arrows about 2/3 of the way through my song...way more fun and a lot easier. :)
I also got to use one of my lines, not a pick up line, but a line I use when I am trying to change the subject in a funny way or if someone says they did something spectacular. Not to minimize what they did, just to show that I did nothing, a little self deprecation never hurt anyone...much. If you have been around me long enough you understand what I mean. I whipped out the old "I bought socks at Target" line. Sometimes I substitute the word "Today" for the word "Target". It depends on the subject matter. In either case it causes a chuckle and I am all about the funny.
The night was topped of with an hour in the Jacuzzi and then picking up the party fun droppings. I am getting a jacuzzi before I die!

At the risk of sounding corny, cherish your friends and the good times had. Make each memory special. I think in my old age (crusty) I am becoming more introspective and I think about trying to enjoy as many good times and good friends as possible.
I think it translates to me trying to see life through the eyes of a child again. Play until you fall down and scrape your knee then get up and do it again. I want to be amazed by things and inspired. I want to try and shed the restraints that get put on you by others. Yep, you guessed it. I am packing up and moving to the woods for my mid life crisis. To experience life without restraint. Hunh? There's no running water and no cable? Maybe I will do that moving to the woods thing later.

Hit the Road Jack!! 1930 - 2004
Ray Charles passed away this weekend from liver disease. R.I.P. In the last two decades he was known as the gun toting shop owner in the Blues Brothers movie and the Pepsi pitchman, "You got the right one baby!! Un Huh!! His music and career go way deeper than that. "Hit the Road Jack" and "Georgia" are two of my favorite songs by Ray. I was hoping to get to see him if he came back to town last few years. The last time I saw him was at the Mall of America in 1992. For the grand opening celebration they hired a large number of different performers to come and entertain for evening. The "invites" were $75.00 a pop. My buddy Vic was performing, so I pulled the "I'm with the band" and carried in some equipment and got in free to the festivities. Awww yeah!! Free food and schmoozing. Aretha, the Queen of Soul was there, but I missed her singing. Ray played a few songs and then he was done. Ray was the man! If you want to hear him just ask me and I will loan you the compilation CD. It offers a good taste of Ray.

Last update for this weekend
SCTV has a five disc DVD set coming out! More Edith Prickly, Johnny LaRue and Guy Caballero than you can shake a stick at.