4/26/08---Where in the blue hell have I been?

Well, your question is a valid one...for someone as nosey as you that is.  Maybe this is my early spring lull, who knows?  Quite frankly, I just haven't been in the mood to write, displaying what can only be described as an admittedly lazy streak (one of my true curses) and just sort of avoiding writing or commenting on pretty much anything.

Hey, I guess its a good thing that I'm so damn talented at this blogging thing, because otherwise no one would give two hoots about what I'm writing about!!

So last weekend Andy went up to Orlando for the dreaded Florida "grad night", which for those of you not-in-the-know is the one evening that Disney puts aside for those that are graduating from high school that year--the park is closed around midnight to the public, and then re-opened only for high school seniors.  It stays open all night and I'm sure nothing even remotely suspicious happens.....3,000 kids with raging hormones up all night (and not a spot of alcohol, I'm positive) and the relentessly happy & peppy folk from Disney.  There's a weird combination.  Anyway, Andy was NOT one of those kids who got to stay the whole night, since he was also in Orlando for a math team tournament and could only stay for a few hours, before getting back and preparing for the tournament.  Kim & I guessed that over the course of about a 36 to 48 hour period, Andy might have slept.....5 hours....maybe.  Hey, it prepares him for college.
What, you've never crammed for an exam???

Meanwhile, back here in south F.L.A., we went out with our friends Amanda & Will, while Kellie happily (?!!?) did babysitting chores.  The four of us decided to try something new for dinner, since it was their wedding anniversary.  I followed the recommendation of a couple of friends from work and we traveled down to the extremely exclusive (translated:  "expensive") Las Olas Blvd area and decided to eat at "Chima", which is a Brazilian steakhouse.  For those of you, much like I was until that night, who have never visited a Brazilian or Argentinian steakhouse...here's the deal:
You will eat, and eat, and eat...until you feel like a tick and can no longer move.  That's pretty much what happens.
By that I mean, we got out of our car and walked up to a lovely, almost island-type setting with lit torches lining the entryway, an outside bar with a guy strumming a guitar.
We walk inside and are greeted by three women who share certain similarities.
First of all, they all look sort of like Penelope Cruz, the actress.  High cheekbones, a very sophisticated accent...and your thinking...if I was single, there is no way on God's earth this woman would even THINK about dating me.  Ahem.  So we're escorted to our table and our waitress informs us---that there are not any menu's.  They give you a button--one side black, one side orange.  When you are ready to be served, you flip the button to the orange side.  Fair enough.  We head over to the salad bar.  One word:  HUGE.  But, ah...beware fine customer.  If thou doth eat too much of the vegation, you wilst not haveth room for the real star of the show.  In a word:

Meat.

And by meat, I mean:  Lots of freakin meat.  We get to our table, and take a chance by flipping the button over.  Literally, within five seconds we are approached by a waiter, dressed like a GAUCHO by the way (In Brazil?), who has a huge skewer of chicken, right off of the grill.  We each take a sample.  Not bad.  But ah...remember, we still have the button overturned and on "orange".  Soon afterwards, we are approached by another guy:

"Filet mignon?"

Well I don't mind if I do!  And he cuts you off a nice hunk of filet.  This continues for a few minutes, as we are approached by waiters offering rib-eye steak, flank steak, chicken wrapped with bacon, sausage and a delicious cut of pork loin with a parmasean crust.  I felt like a viking or something.

"Mead!  And wenches!  Where are the wenches!"

Meanwhile, we're also....dare I say....have a drink or two.  And sooner rather than later we are completely stuffed.  Well, until we took a look at the dessert selections.
(Truthfully, are you surprised I need to lose weight?  I didn't think so)  And it was at that point that they brought out the deliciously light and flakey apple turnover with the cinammon ice cream.  Good Lord....it was beyond good.

Well finally we got up and waddled our way back to our car, and then proceeded to take a nice drive along Ft Lauderdale Beach and made our way back to Las Olas Blvd, which is loaded with high end shops and lots of things and people to look at in the evening. 

It was just a really nice evening...and too top it off, when we got back to their house, Kellie informed us that both of Amanda & Will's two boys....had gone to sleep about 15 minutes after we left.  What an easy evening for her!!!  I mean, c'mon....don't you think she should've gotten at least ONE poopy diaper or something?  What a ripoff!

Later,
Jeff