A seething mass of turgid drama.

So far this COVID variant is still acting like a medium cold. I'm not thrilled, but it's far easier to manage. Once the symptoms go away - hopefully not that long, as the internets say 10 days is common - we'll wait for a couple negative tests before venturing out again.

Our friend Crystal was immensely kind enough to drive up and drop off a care package. A variety of Trader Joe's prepared foods, which is great for brainless preparation, and stuff from her freezer. I was blown away by the thoughtfulness.

A series of short(ish) musings about the trip.

One of the main reasons for our going was my stepping down as Kingdom Exchequer after year 3 of a two-year term. I planned to step down in morning court for two reasons: the semi-silly one of Being Done^TM *, and the more prosaic one of my successor being in charge of the event, so he deserved to have the title. I had gotten the okay from the royalty and signed up on the list. However, the morning court wound up and they hadn't called me in. So I ran around back and urgently asked about my business. "Oh, we're doing that this evening," was the response. (Mind you, no one had asked or informed me of this.) "Unless you really need it now..." And my immediate "I really need it now." So they re-opened court and did my stepdown. Sheesh.

I had bought a very nice bottle of Scotch to share with Etaine when we both were no longer in the job (that I had optimistically labelled "June '18"). The maker was Blair Athol, who I had never heard of but came recommended by the shop. It was a very nice, smooth, happily-warming, not peaty or smoky Scotch that appealed to most people. So it was a good choice for mass consumption. The bottle was almost completely gone by Sunday morning - which was the point. I didn't get drunk or hungover as I drank lots of water while alternating sips.

The stress bar across my shoulders isn't magically gone, but it is lower.

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* But also a totally true one.

Whether the team wins or not tonight, I am happy with how far they have gotten. They have exceeded my expectations for this season.

(Of course, I do want them to win the World Series this year!)

Congratulations to local boy Chris Cosentino, who won the latest season of Top Chef Masters!

I've often thought that the best wedding is one you look back on thinking "That suited the couple perfectly." Along with "I had a lovely time."

Both those statements apply to Karen and Chaz' wedding yesterday. The bride and groom looked fabulous. The weather was perfect, the Rengstorff House in Mtn. View was a well-suited venue, and good food and booze with well-dressed friends.

I loved the turtle-and-cat cake topper, too.

We had a lovely dinner at La Ciccia for the wife's birthday. It's a local Sardinian restaurant we've been to a number of times. Their known specialty is spicy octopus stew, which is indeed quite good and that was our split appetizer - but we really went back for the seafood sugo in squid ink. After devouring it and rhapsodizing to the chef/owner, he offered us an extra portion of the sauce to take home. Um, yes please and thank you?

So that's tonight's dinner. We bought some fresh prawns and will make fregola to sop it up. Seafood in concentrated evil sauce. I'm looking forward to it.

Twenty years... to life!
Approximately twenty years ago bonacorsi and I started dating.
Happy sort-of-anniversary, sweetie.

I really like the Cloverdale site in April/May. It's still green and lush; the hills surround the camping area with trees and there aren't any semis whizzing by. When you are looking at pavilions around the eric, it's easy to get your medieval on.

Camping with St. Calixtus worked well - I would have been shocked had it been otherwise, but still. We had a very pretty encampment of pavilions and gear. Even if our new banners entangled themselves rather quickly.

I think ysabella_dolfin was the one who originally suggested having a Saluminati meeting at Beltane. I thought we might get four people to show, and at most eight. We had over thirty at various points! Including TH (Mists) and Her Maj. Quite a variety of cured meats, veg, cheeses, booze. It was all really, really good and people seemed to enjoy themselves. I know I'm inspired. As long as there's interest I suspect we'll do it again next year.

Two non-food standouts were Jean and I signing our apprentice indenture - aastg did a wonderful job clerking; and acanthusleaf presenting tiny Saluminati pewter buttons that she cast on site that morning.

No brain, shutting down now.

I slipped in the tub as I was drying off, my foot skidded, and gashed slightly against the drain. So my foot is bleeding. Great.
Then Galen threw up in the bedroom. Joyous.

I'm very glad that it happened to me rather than the wife, though. It's her birthday today - happy birthday, bonacorsi!

The wife took Galen in for another weighing late last week. The vet tech's comment was "You might want to think about him losing weight." He came in around 11 pounds.

That means that since March, Galen has gained three two pounds. Twelve is about where he should be; apparently his appetite kicked back in. We don't know why he lost so much weight so suddenly - all the tests were negative - but I'm glad he's getting back to sort-of-normal.

What I'm reading: Adrian Tchaikovsky, Dragonfly Falling