Cleveland is an oasis

As I may have mentioned, work is crazy right now. And "right now" basically means "since May." And it also means right now. This was the Big Whoop-Dee-Doo week. Two databases converging. Everyone on tenterhooks. Drumroll. The great unknown.
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This is why it was so important to just dump everything and go to Cleveland last weekend. If there was ever a time to get away from it all, that was it. I couldn't be more grateful for the invite from Barb, Kathy, and Evelyn, and I seized it.

And it was a worthy occasion, all right... Kathy had a big birthday! (Click on the picture for more photos, courtesy of the Literary's Facebook page.)
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We later had a special cook-veggies-and-meat-on-a-burner-right-there-on-the-table dinner at Evelyn's house. I'm sure there's a French word for that, but I don't know what it is! All I know is... it was fabulous. As were our sparkly fingernails, done up special for the birthday disco theme.
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Top it all off with late nights, lots of classic rock from the collections of both Steve and Philippe, and visits to some fun Cleveland places, including a studio showcasing a gigantic metal pineapple from local metalworker Chris Schafle, and you have a weekend to remember.
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Did it make this week at work less stressful? Maybe so. It sure made me happy.
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Thanks, y'all!

Ghosts

I was over at Barb's for Halloween, as usual, and we made these groovy ghosts. Aren't they great? There weren't a million trick-or-treaters this time, but hey - we had the best ghosts!