Watch out if you're unzipped!

I told Craig that I'm going to Alabama for a week in the summer. He said:
"You dig up old veteran's graves, hug them, tell them it is ok they seceeded, you forgive them, and then bury them again?"

He knows me too well!
(Given, a year ago RIGHT NOW is the period of time where we'd be at CFA together until approx. 1:00 in the morning every day. Doing work. But also jumping over chairs, running away from perceived ghsots, and/or using BUSTAMFOP money to buy hot dogs.)

So, my parents were in town! I neglected to mention that. They arrived on Monday morning and we immediately started picking at each other. But....in a loving way? Right? We ate a disgusting amount of fried Polish food of all different varieties at Kasia's, then went to Brooklyn Heights where they each uttered their catchphrase, "Look at this joint!," at least five times apiece. I knew they would like it there. We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and then wandered around Chinatown trying to buy I <3 NY t-shirts to send to Evan in Africa. I nearly lost my mind because of the Asian ladies GRABBING ME and yelling "You want bag?" but this was redeemend when I saw a Jesus-on-the-cross statue that said "THE PRINCE OF PEA" underneath. There just wasn't room for that "CE," I guess. And it made all the difference.
After this we yelled at each other some more, jovially...then had more food at Island Burger. Then we were dismayed to find out that the L train wasn't running....at all...from Manhattan to Brooklyn....so we took an epic trek involving the 6, the J, and walking fifteen blocks. More yelling ensued. Then they drove me to Erin's, where Erin, Jacob and I consumed large quantities of the Champagne of Beers and played Karaoke Revolution until Frenchie pounded violently on the ceiling. (The remarkable thing was that he wasn't sent over the egde by Come Sail Away, or Bohemian Rhapsody, or even Rihanna's Unfaithful-- no. It was My Heart Will Go On.) I mean, it WAS 1:30 AM on a Monday, but wtf needs sleep?

Next morning I bussed, belatedly, back to the burg, beaten there by Brother (cousin, Amish joke) Matthew. Parents got there after being stuck on the BQE for an hour and a half. Good moods prevailed! No, actually, everyone was happy after we had donuts at Peter Pan. We ate at Kasia's again, so Matt could have Polish food, and everyone went their separate ways. I immediately rode my bike around the neighborhood, trying to remember to use the handbrakes and not futilely jam my heels back when I needed to stop. It's going to take some getting used to. Later, I rode it to the Greenpoint library and checked out some Walt Whitman. Obviously this is some sort of phase. Erin and Jacob agree that I'm getting spoiled by my 'hood. I think they're right.

And now I'm at work. Let's hope I actually do something productive today.