Friday night fever

Tonight I went with my mom to the Wehrle Restaurant and then we walked for a while around the new Tops picking up this and that. We had to walk a little because we had both absolutely cleaned our plates and needed to move.

My mother said it was her first time she had ever gone grocery shopping without a list.

"Hahaha," I said. "Welcome to my world."

I never have a list when I go shopping! I told my mom, "That's why, after I call you up from Tops or Budway's to see if you need anything, and you tell me what you want, that's why it takes me an hour to get to your house. Because I am in supermarket going 'Uh....'"

Usually when I go food shopping it is after work and Zumba and I am hungry and zoned. I get overwhelmed with all the choices. But I forgive myself. You cannot go to work and Zumba and also be the authorized biographer of Leonard Pennario and always remember your grocery list. Sorry Charlie.

After the Wehrle Restaurant and Tops I went and met Howard at the Hyatt. I almost did not go down there and then when I got downtown there was no parking. I parked about a mile away by TGIFriday's. Well, it was Friday! So, appropriate.

When I got to the Hyatt all kinds of people were there. Howard was sitting with our friend Gene. Also sitting at neighboring tables were our friends E.O. Smith, the great Buff State history professor, and Gerhardt Yaskow, who owns Gene McCarthy's Tavern. That is a place I should take my mom for a fish fry, McCarthy's. Remind me, someone, otherwise I will just home to the Wehrle.

Then we were joined by another group including the priest from my church, Father Secondo, and our friend Lucy, the Vice Consul of Italy, and her husband, historian Martin Ederer. And a friend of theirs, a guy visiting from Italy. I love dropping the title Vice Consul of Italy, you know? And it felt chic to have the padre there. At Jocko! We were laughing about it.

It was all over too soon but I got to tell the visitor from Italy ...

... which made me feel cool.

And now it is the weekend!