A Blast

Yesterday, my niece and her husband drove up from Houston to visit. The got here about noon and we immediately went about the process of preparing for the match between Spain and Paraguay (he's Paraguayan...they met while she was in the Peace Corps in Paraguay).

First on the order of business was for my wife and my niece to go get hot-wings from our favorite wings place...a pizzeria, of all places. They make the second-best wings we've ever had though, second only to the Russian River Pub north of Santa Rosa, CA on the river road.

Then, he and I tried to find the best broadcast of the game which, for him, was on Univision. After a quick meal, the three of us (my wife bugged out and took a nap) watched and hoped for a Paraguayan victory, but it was not to be. Spain won the match, 1-0.

I've never had much of an interest in any sport, but I was fascinated by the game, at least enough to watch all the way through.

After the let-down, we went grocery shopping at a couple of places my wife had on her list, then came back home and sat around and chatted. My wife and niece and I stayed the course, but the game was too much for him and he took a nap while the rest of us were unproductive.

Then, we had a dinner of garlic bread and arrabiata (my current favorite pasta sauce) over spaghetti. This was followed by the three of them watching a talent show on television, a show I've never found interesting in the least (but, I'll admit, after hearing (as I sat surfing the net on my computer in the next room) a young woman singing a Sarah McLachlan tune, I was at least impressed that they had some real talent on the show).

To you, the reader, this may sound like an uneventful day. I had a blast. I really enjoy chatting with my niece; she's extremely bright, full of ideas and perspectives that I wish I had, and just extremely pleasant. Life's good.