Tuesday, July 15, 2003
It's a bit late in the day to write about Julie Ashley's wedding which was on July 5th, but suffice to say it was a very fun time. The wedding was nice. Julie's husband Jim seems sweet and charming. At the Friday night barbecue we bonded drunkenly over Mercury Rev's "Yerself Is Steam". Nicole and Dave were there with little Anika who is 100 per cent adorable, walking and making almost coherent sounds. Nights at the hotel the group of us (Anthony, Paul Martia, Nic, Dave, Alan, Sandra Dillon, pregnant Myla, Jason, Julie, Julie's friend Holly and cousin Jeff,) hung out till the early hours drinking Becher and dancing to ESG. Saw Elvis Costello for free in Grant Park on stormy Sunday afternoon. Got drenched and dried out twice. Three rounds of tequila shots kept us warm for the ride back to the hotel. More thunderstorms on Monday night meant my plane was delayed about five hours, making me miss my connecting flight and stranding me in Pittsburgh airport until the morning. I had the place pretty much to myself all night. I camped out by one of the big windows and watched the panoramic lightning show until the sun came up.
A bat got into the apartment last night! The lights were out and we were on our way to bed when Kate noticed the cats bugging out in the living room. Don't know how it got in, as all the windows have screens and the door was shut. (My suspicion is it was one of the extra features on the Wicker Man DVD we rented recently). The cats were filled with curiosity and delight, leaping about chasing what looked like an oily rag on a string.
After the bat had found its way into the study (we call it the study despite the prescence of a drum kit, several amplifiers and a suit closet, although it does have a desk) we managed to close both the doors and isolate it from the rest of the house. I opened both windows, crouched in the corner and watched as the bat flew circles around the room, occasionally catching the ride cymbal or the high hat making it ring. Despite its high-tech radar capabilities batty couldn't seem to find the exit. After calling several friends and discussing the various options open to us, brooms, tennis rackets, hurling heavy linen, we decided to turn the lights out and sneak away leaving batty to find his own way out during the night. Sure enough next morning he was gone.
Cute fellow. We wish him well.
I add batty to my list of wild creature encounters over recent weeks. Last week a snake crossed our path while Kate and I were out walking, and a couple of weeks back we met a friendly racoon playing in a rubbish bin near the suspension bridge. As we came round the corner it jumped down, ran a few feet and then, like Lassie, it turned and stared at us for a few seconds with big eyes, before diving into the hedgerow out of sight.
After the bat had found its way into the study (we call it the study despite the prescence of a drum kit, several amplifiers and a suit closet, although it does have a desk) we managed to close both the doors and isolate it from the rest of the house. I opened both windows, crouched in the corner and watched as the bat flew circles around the room, occasionally catching the ride cymbal or the high hat making it ring. Despite its high-tech radar capabilities batty couldn't seem to find the exit. After calling several friends and discussing the various options open to us, brooms, tennis rackets, hurling heavy linen, we decided to turn the lights out and sneak away leaving batty to find his own way out during the night. Sure enough next morning he was gone.
Cute fellow. We wish him well.
I add batty to my list of wild creature encounters over recent weeks. Last week a snake crossed our path while Kate and I were out walking, and a couple of weeks back we met a friendly racoon playing in a rubbish bin near the suspension bridge. As we came round the corner it jumped down, ran a few feet and then, like Lassie, it turned and stared at us for a few seconds with big eyes, before diving into the hedgerow out of sight.
