Since I returned from vacation, I have been in a major funk. The Man has been kicking my ass, and it's affected me to the point where I have not been my usual chipper self. I have been cranky and anti-social, and those are not words I'd normally use to describe myself.

So I took Friday off, a mental health day of sorts. After dropping the younger crazy nephew at school, Sweetie Pie Princess and I visited my old office, where she entertained the masses. A $23 parking ticket later, we picked her brother up at school and enjoyed a leisurely lunch at the diner. It's never too early to expose a Jersey Girl to the wonderment of the diner experience, and she's taken to it nicely. And her brother still calls it the Fancy Dinner Place.

I spent that afternoon cleaning Casa Magnolia, something I always find therapeutic, and spent the evening with the trifecta of good friends, beer and karaoke at our local dive bar (no photographed bathroom material, for those keeping score at home). There was a fine offering of musical numbers, including a local barfly doing a version of "Rocket Man" that rivaled this. The Sandman closed out the evening with a terrific version of "Jersey Girl."

Saturday started with a violation of #17. Don't judge me. There's nothing better than a greasy sausage biscuit and hash brown to start the day after an evening of libations. Particularly when you are going to spend the next nine hours watching three children under the age of eight.

When I mentioned to Local Shill, during our outing Friday night, that I would be hanging out with the crazies, he mentioned the lack of tales about Sweetie Pie Princess. That is indeed a disservice, for she is coming along nicely with the crazy...



After several hours of puzzles, movie watching and brother-on-brother battle, our quartet hit the diner for dinner because, really, why wouldn't we? And they are absolutely delightful dinner companions. I'm sure when we walked in, people exchanged "oh crap, there goes our quiet dinner" looks. But the kids were great, so much so that two fellow diners stopped as they left to comment on how beautiful and well-behaved the children are, and what a pleasure it was to dine near them. And indeed it was.

Today was spent with the entire family, celebrating a few birthdays, including mine, although it's still a few weeks away. An update - my days of balancing on the cooler for household tasks are over. Apparently, they make tools for changing light bulbs high in the ceiling. Who knew?















All in all, an excellent weekend. So should you find The Man getting you down, might I recommend several days filled with family, friends and good times. I feel like a new Jersey Girl.