For viewing and reading pleasure:

It's been awhile. I apologize to my loyal readers (raise your hands so I can see them....thanks). I won't bore you with all the nitty-gritty details, but it's been a busy few days in the lab and haven't really had time to use the internet for this, my third job. Anyway, where do we start?

Boom Boom.
As previously outlined, I spent Sunday night with Matt Forrest, Bree, and Mike, watching fireworks, thus:

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Clockwise, from top-left: Boom!; Boom!; These people were no more than 50 yards ahead of us, so you can imagine how close the fireworks were above us; Boom! Also, click each image to see the full-size version if you'd like.

Matt already told you about our post-fireworks ordeal, but Mike seems to be doing better, because later today we're going to go play frisbee golf (aka: disc golf, frolf)!!! Matt Forrest is invited too, since last time we played, he was on his way home and was quite pissy when he found out we had played without him.

But I digress. I had a good weekend at home, despite having to miss the tour guide social. It's ok though, because I expect a repeat at least once before the summer is over. When I was home, my family and I went to an Indians game. As Eric so kindly pointed out, "who's making you go to an Indians game?" It's a long story but we'd had the tickets for a long time and they were good seats, so for you haters out there, kindly back off (or Im'a gon' kuht choo [read: I'm a gon' cut you]). So it's the bottom of the 8th or so, and my sister spots Slider, the Indians non-Indian mascot walking down the aisle on the opposite side of our section. Of course, he is followed by a dozen or so small children, average age: 9.

Having had a few handfuls of cotton candy (which we stole from our mom), my sister and I were feeling a little giddy and wanted a picture with Slider. So when he starts making his way up our aisle, we step out and ask him to stop for a picture. Naturally, he strikes a goofy pose. The bastard keeps on walking away! I slap him on this shoulder, thinking that by some act of God he had missed us blocking the aisle, but then I recalled that he actually lowered his shoulder into the small gap between my sister and I. Pissed off, I sit down, drink some of my beer, and text Eric: "Slider is an asshole." And until I get a picture with Slider, an asshole he shall remain.

On a lighter note, Scotty came to visit yesterday. I hadn't seen him since his arrival back to the US, and it was good to talk to him in person again. We showed each other our foreign bottle-openers (mine won the "most sacrilegious" category) and visited with Mike and Bree. Apparently, I missed a fairly eventful 4th of July weekend, complete with "crazy party." Oh well. Scotty drove me to Wal*Mart in his mother's (admittedly feminine) Jaguar for some much-needed grocery items. Scotty hung out and talked with Eric, who has finally returned from "I-don't-know-where-Eric-is Land", Matt Forrest, and I. After a while, Scotty left.

Rounding out our manic Monday of excitement, Eric and I went for a run last night; rather, I asked Eric around 9:15, "hey, you wanna go for a run?", to which he responded, "yeah, I guess so." Note: Eric had eaten about half of a medium cheese pizza from Harris. Reminds me of a segment called "Good Idea, Bad Idea." Eric held up well through the run and didn't puke once! After about 4 miles, he was finished but I wanted to go a little longer, so I headed back towards campus. It was a clear night, and made me start looking forward to the unknown date when apt212+Bree(?) will take to the fields of Indiana for some late-night stargazing and photographing, the latter being doubted by Eric. I say nay: