The Beginning of a Busy Boozy Belly-full of the Tail-end of June

The end of June marks the cook's birthday, and this year the celebrating began for me with my oldest and closest friend, MJ, finally came out for a visit. I have been living in Chico for nearly six years and it was the first time she had ever been out to see me. She finally arrived on Friday the 15th. That night we went bar hopping and ended the night with me sliding off the bar stool over and over while we talked to some friends. Her parting words were, "Nice to meet you. We're going home to fight!" Which is what happened and how I got my newest bruise. But that's how we've always done and why we're each other's oldest and closest friend.
Food related highlights of the trip:
Earlier that same night we were at the only hotel bar in downtown. It fancies itself a classy joint, but it's contrived and full of business types and apparently lots of dentists from Sacramento who like to tell a member of the cook's band who works as manager there what he is doing wrong and how they would run the place . . . The developer/owner of the hotel was there with his wife. He went to do some chatworking in the empty restaurant and his wife was holding down their four seats at the bar while trying to mingle with the "arty" jazz musicians that had just finished a set. Soon she wasn't talking to anybody but standing close to MJ & I, at which point MJ snarked something to the effect of, "You know, they have a fairly adequate offering of scotch; but if they wanted a truly good one they ought to have a this and a that. And I find it odd that they don't have one that's at least X amount of years old . . . " At which point the woman walked away. And that is why she is my oldest and closest friend.
We also took a trip down to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. While we didn't go to the restaurant there, which I have heard is delicious, we did manage to have breakfast at Cliff House in San Francisco the next day after a nice walk down to seal rock which was full of sea lions (?). We warmed up with coffee after being in the wet, salty bay air which was only topped by fresh, hot pop-overs. Which we topped with butter and marmalade and ate while pelicans sailed by the window. The veggie scramble, fresh fruit and potatoes were also delicious, and we all left completely full and of need of another walk before we got back into the rental car for what would be an unbearably frustrating, anxious, tense, beautiful and long ride back to Chico. Good thing we're such close and old friends.
Mainly her visit was hanging out, swimming in the creek, drinking lots of beer along with a lot of talking and giving each other a lot of shit.

Mice & Men = Nature Wins

Today at work a co-worker has summoned me to look out the window and admire the little mice she and two other smoking co-workers had just saved form a sure drowning. We had just had a fierce thunderstorm roll through (which happens to be quite unusual for these here parts) and there were plenty of puddles for worms, mice and whatever else little creatures to fall victim to. My friend was so excited for me to look at the little topos she had just spared from certain death, as I am the animal lover of the office. I followed her to the window (which we are both tall enough so that we have to stand on our toes to peer through) and she said, "See, Jess, it's right there where that . . blue jay . . . is . . uh. Oh, God. Never mind, don't look, Jess."
So I didn't.
She was bummed. She's also giving up all caffeine so she was already a bit depressed to begin with, she was close to crying. But I saw the great irony in this turn of events. Sure it was sad, but it was also nature's way of saying "Step off, bitch, and let me do my thing." Also, at least now the mice were now going straight back into the food chain. Hopefully a nice alley cat will eat that blue jay tonight and the cycle can continue onward.