Sunday, February 02, 2020

Wild Night In Miami

Began a gray morning with whole-wheat buttermilk pancakes for breakfast and the Broadway original cast of Beauty and the Beast. I really enjoy some of the additional songs by Alan Menken and Tim Rice. "No Matter What" for Belle and Maurice, "Home" for Belle after she's been forced to stay at the Beast's castle, and "If I Can't Love Her" for the Beast are especially nice.

Work wasn't too bad when I got in, but it turned into an absolutely madhouse around noon. I kept ending up in a register for the first half of my shift. As it turns out, it may have been just as well. When I did finally make it outside, the street was wet, and it was humid. It would shower lightly on and off until shortly before I left. I went outside at the right time. At one point around 3:30, an ambulance and a paramedics van pulled up at the main entrance of the store. I have no idea what happened or whom they took away, and given how crazy it was inside, I'm not sure I want to know. It slowed down enough by then for me to round up the overflowing trash outside and sweep inside.

Rushed off as soon as I finished. Dad and Jodie held a small pre-Super Bowl family party at their house. They were just about finishing off the cheese fondue when I arrived. There was enough for me to enjoy chunks of beef, chicken, and bread, baby carrots, slices of peppers, small sliced potatoes, and broccoli and cauliflower florets. Jodie even let me take most of the leftovers home - I'll turn them into soup and stir-fry this week.

Joined Khai, Craig, and Finley in the den after I ate. Rose pulled out a huge plastic bin of tons of Beanie Babies that have belonged to Jessa since the 1990's. There's so many, Khai even buried his sister in them at one point. The kids seemed to be happier hiding under the plastic box. Finley just liked throwing them around. I watched a stirring "salute to America" on the Super Bowl pre-show and the NFL's listing of the 100 greatest players ever in honor of this being their 100th season.

Shortly before the game began, Jodie cleared the cheese fondue and brought out some of the most delicious melted milk chocolate I'd ever tasted. Evidently, a friend of hers who owns a winery has a daughter who runs a chocolate shop and gave it to her. Oh, yum! So perfectly sweet and rich. It tasted even better swirled around strawberries, pretzel sticks, sliced bananas and apples, and chunks of pineapple.

The chocolate finally brought Dana, Jessa, and Jessa's puppy Midnight in. Finley loves Midnight and chased the little black fluffball all over the kitchen. Finley grabbed Jessa's old stuffed snake and used it to play tug with Midnight, to both their amusement.

Unlike last year, the game was as good as the company. One team would score, then another would run back and score again. It was 10-10 at halftime, when I followed almost everyone else out the door. Thankfully, Fox does stream live online, and I was able to finish watching the game at home. And I'm glad I did! The 49ers pulled ahead after halftime 13-10, then got a touchdown shortly after, making it 20-10. That finally woke up the Chiefs. They really kicked it in the 4th quarter, including two close-call touchdowns. In the end, the Chiefs got one last touchdown that won them the game, 31-20.

And in the other major event of the day, Phil the Groundhog didn't see his shadow, and considering how warm we've been this winter, I'll believe that early spring prediction.

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