With food all around the kitchen area island and pecan pringles + several kinds of dip (if pecan flavor was insufficient) we complimented Mark and Woo-song on the festive dining room layout here in their new digs. Its no small drive the first time to hinter lands of far north west Austin.
The pot luck was indeed luck for all! After filling our plates we sat down to curious token place holders. Keith Sterzing ventured a game with a bottle of wine as the prize. Better now than when full stomachs have stolen our wits! With a preamble story too long to set down here we are presented with a story from the Wright family. Everytime you hear "Wright|right" you pass the token in your hand to the diner on your right. When you hear "left", pass to the diner on your left. The wine bottle began as Keith's token. Confusion reigned when some heard and some didn't causing multiple tokens in some places. We made up accommodating rules as situations arose like, if you see the diner you are passing to already has two tokens, then pass/toss your token to the ** 3rd ** diner down the line or across the table if you were near the table end. See the story for just why this is a cross between "Mother, may I" and "Simon says". The winner? John Herron.
Many of us made 2 passes at the food and then enjoyed several desserts. My favorite was Mark's "Texas Pecan Pie". After Mark showed off his "commuter" bicycle, which I was able to lift with the index finger of one hand, and returned it the ceiling via a double pulley hoist, he, Paul N., and I swapped urban cycling stories.
Back indoors the others had grabbed the comfortable seats in the living room. Woo-Song had their daughter Jenny say good night to each of us and was trundeled off to bed. I went back by the front door to try out the Thomas' "one cup Kerig" coffee maker. Very easy for me to use, but I bet a Barrista would need 5 of them to keep lines from getting long. It made an excellent cup of black coffee.
Then I returned to find eveyone's eyes glued to a TV/internet screen about the size of one of those (ancient) 16mm home movie screens (but with a modern aspect ratio). People had been calling out their favorite U-Tube video for the general delictation. While some were just strange, most were funny, and others outlandish.
Paul got everyone (but me, it seems) to look up for a group snap. To get everyone in, the screen and a floor to ceiling lit up Christmas tree to the left could not be fit in. Imagine them to your right. In a fit of up-to-the-moment tech, Mark presented the back of his phone to the back of Paul's in a sort of "high 5" which conveyed the photo which moments later was on the "big screen" **and** had already been emailed to me.
After an educational internet dissembly of a "going the way of the do-do" analog electric meter's physics wonders, we broke up the party so everyone could be readying themselves for the morrow by 10pm.
Very festive. Thank you Mark for letting us make a mess and taking it in stride.
