nice to be needed!

Yesterday, while spending quality time with family, we made a side trip to the Goodwill in Bluffton. I've been wanting to go to that store to search for picture frames for some of the swag I've received as Fliss of Kickstarter. Success! I came home with seven frames!
This morning, I determined to put them to use. Now, which pieces of art to place in which frames?
Then it was time for school, so off I went!
No one came to my Office Hours.
No worries! I used the time to grade a six-page Post-Lab Report that I always dread. I even managed to grade all 24 of the Reports! That was certainly time well spent!
Roast turkey, wild rice, sauteed zucchini and yellow squash! Green beans, coconut flan, walnut blondies!
The Galley fed me well, as it always does. I very much enjoy eating there. What's not to like? They shop for the food, they wash and prepare the vegetables, they roast and grill and boil the meats and starches, and they serve it all hot and fresh, attractively arranged on my plate. Then, afterward, they even wash the dishes!
Seriously, I eat there every time I am on campus. Sometimes lunch, usually dinner, brunch on rare occasions. Always good and I can eat as much as I like, for only 8 to 9 dollars.
What a treat!
My plan this evening was to finish lecture a little early and then jet downtown for the Alton Brown cooking show at the Civic Center. His "Edible Inevitable Tour" was in town and I am a fan of his style of mixing science and history into his recipes.
No, I did not have a ticket yet. I was just going to "wing it".
Good thing I had not splurged $54 on a ticket.
As I texted the bfe, "Tis pissing down water from on high."
My umbrella was in the trunk. The weather had been warm, so I had no jacket to help shield me from the onslaught of wet. And I was wearing the shoes my BFF's darling daughter had painted and given to me, shoes that now sported holes in the uppers and holes in the soles.
I was going nowhere in this rain.
So, I graded the Lab Data Sheets and the Pre-Lab Quizzes, waiting for the physicist to finish his class.
Done! Whaddaya know? I was all caught up with my grading!
Then he was done and texting, "Are you still here?"
He was delighted to find I was! He would have had to wait 45 minutes for the next bus downtown.
I would have him home before it would even arrive southside.
And we talked of diners in movies and upcoming travel plans to be made and how relieved he was that I had been there at the school on such a rainy night.
Like rain is anything new for us!
(smile)
It's an inside joke, y'all.
You know, like best friends have.
(smile!)
After I had him safely home, I headed to Chili's. I had told Ced that I would be there, so off I jetted. I was only about fifteen minutes late and found him, Connie, and Daniel sitting in silence, with beverages but no chips and salsa.
No chips and salsa?!?
Not for long!
Then I ordered a triple dipper to share and Daniel ordered a kid's pepperoni pizza and the chips came and the climate at our little table started to brighten.
Daniel talked about how his mom's topic ("What did you ever think would never happen, but it did?") had gone and asked for my feedback, too - I thought it was really nice for him to want to hear my take. I asked if anyone had brought up the fact of a black President in the United States, just six or seven generations after the American Civil War. Amazingly, no one had.
Seriously!
That opened up more topics for our post-Philo talks, and, oddly, led into acronyms.
Yep, it sure did!
So I trotted out some of my common ones.
FUBAR - fouled up beyond all recognition
SNAFU - situation normal, all fouled up
NAVY - never again volunteer yourself

Then, all of a sudden, I recalled one I had forgotten, one which had been a favorite for many years!
DILLIGAFF - do i look like i give a flying flip

Fun, right?
I look forward to a resurgence in my use of dilligaff! It's such a fun word in the mouth!
Daniel and Cedric made a note of it, too!
Maybe we could have our own dilligaff club!

How good to have been exactly where I needed to be tonight!
i thank You, God.