Friday, January 3rd, 2020:
My friend, PJ came up from Olney, Maryland to hang out last night. Olney is his family headquarters while they visit relatives and friends when in town from Chicago. PJ and Sandy own a home in Chevy Chase which they have been renting out for the last ten years while they are in Chicago. Their stay in Chicago was not supposed to last that long, but as things happen, time catches up with you and before you know it, ten years have gone by. PJ is a curator in Chicago and Sandy just started as an assistant teacher at the local elementary school. They have two daughters. They want to get back to the DC area and may be making that move this year, but there are several factors in that decision, obviously.
PJ and I met up at Soundgarden, the record store in my neighborhood. After we made our music purchases, we headed over to Thames Street Oyster House. We had a couple of beers and ate a dozen oysters: 6 Duxberry and 6 Blue Point. Both were very good, but the Blue Points were the stand out for me. As what usually happens when PJ is in town, we have our next course of the meal at Brewer’s Art. Burgers and beer. Recapping the time since we have last hung out, interspersed with our thoughts on music, movies, art. PJ wants to open a record store and we have talked of purchasing a property together for some time now. Us purchasing a property together will probably never happen, but I could see me assisting him on his future plans after I have dipped my toe into the water of small time developer. An itch that comes around for me to scratch now and then. “First pass the exams. Next look into properties.” A long spoken mantra of mine. PJ has been a good friend over the years…
I am still hungry for no good reason after being dropped off for the night. In front of the open fridge, I grabbed some things and ate them where I stood, before filling a small bowl with Cheetos and pouring some bourbon into an ice-filled glass. My family are all upstairs and asleep. It is the last night on earth for me for a while, as I will begin my annual month long period of abstaining from alcohol.
I watched Seinfeld reruns until my glass was empty and then went to bed.
