Friday was Happy�s birthday, so we met up at her place for some pre-going-out fun. I stuck with water during the pre-party, despite Lorinda�s heckles. This was not to be a drinking night. (Since getting my gym membership, a lot fewer nights have been drinking nights.) I had things to do the next day and didn�t want to feel like shit during the first 60-degree weekend of the year.

All-in-all, the night went well. The bar we went to was good fun, and I got to catch up with friends, meet plenty of new people, and get in a lot of people watching.

In an odd moment, I turned around and found myself standing alone on the sidewalk. I figured my friends all took off for the night, so I walked to the closest bus stop that was near a restaurant with good amount of people to act as witnesses were ghetto thugs to magically appear in Lincoln Park and want to take advantage of a LittleJo. (I may actually be ToughJo, but that would be a surprise on them once they tried to mess with me.)

After a long wait, I peered across the street and saw Lorinda, et al making their way south. They invited me to Franks, in what was possibly the easiest sell ever. However, when we got to Franks and discovered the cover charge and long line, I headed to the el and went home.

This was the first time in a long time that I stayed out until after 3 in the morning.

I woke up fairly early on Saturday and got a lot of errands done. I got in my 30 minute run, where I got to try out a new walk/run technique that I recently read about. Including the walking, my average mileage time went down a minute per mile. Not too shabby.

The training is going pretty well. Benito did his first long run of the season yesterday, and it doesn�t look like he�s too terribly ahead of me in progress. We�ll see how much he improves by time we hit the race. Hopefully his past performance isn�t going to kick in. I stupidly showed him the link to the walk break site, so he�s gonna try that out and see how it affects his time. Doh! I definitely should have kept my trap shut until April!

The rest of Saturday was Benito time, and we took advantage of the great weather and suburbs fun (since his moving date is fast-approaching). We Frisbee golfed at this park near his house. I was pretty impressed with my lack of sucktitude on the long shots. However, on the up-close ones, I was a pile of suck. I managed to hang with B on most of the courses, and figuring out that I was left-handed on the long chucks and right-handed on the up-close shots really helped a lot.

Most of the afternoon was spend traipsing through goose poo, threatening each other with mud pies to the mouth, and trying to figure out where the next Frisbee goal was located. It was a nice way to spend the afternoon in a way that definitely isn�t available in the city.

We cleaned up and played domestic, heading to the grocery store and making dinner (Kung Pao---chicken for him, and tofu for me). We ate our din-din while watching a Tivo�ed episode of some crime show where people killed other people in really gross ways and the autopsies revealed the wrong-doings of others. I�m pretty sure I closed my eyes through a third of the episode, but it was okay.

To continue our fun in the �burbs, we went to this local bar he had never been to. EJ Riley�s had quite a gathering of folks. We were expecting a biker bar, but no bikers were to be found. Trio Leo was the cover band�s name, and they consisted of five or six 50-somethings (it depended on the song as to who was in the band that set). Just as those in the audience ranged from couples in their 60s who snuggled and swayed slightly to the music to females in their early 20s who wore too much makeup and too little clothing, the music ranged from Under the Boardwalk to some random Xmas song to some songs you�d put your devil-horned hands up and bang your Mohawk to.

A beer for me and two beers for him later, we were on our way to the super-cheesy Boogie Nights to dust off our dancing shoes and laugh at all of the 40-somethings who left the house for the first time in months. We had a good time shaking our groove thangs to music I wasn�t expecting to be played there (untz untz), and we headed out early enough to avoid the drunks.

Once back in his condo, I crashed hardcore. There was no Jo to be hung out with until 10:30 the next morning. Between the running, the Frisbeeing, and the dancing, I was one TiredJo.

After getting presentable, we headed into the city to meet the realtor and take measurements at his new condo. This condo kicks much ass. Much, much ass. Whereas I originally saw it online in one of the thirty links his realtor sent to him to check out and oohed and aahed the high ceilings, large windows, big rooms, and amazing kitchen, the place lived up to everything shown in the virtual tour.

When I finally get sick of Ming pooping on my bathmat, she�ll be quite happy in his new place.

Benito dropped me off back at home, and I spent the day enjoying the sunshine. Mostly I just napped, but napping in the sun is some of the nicest napping there is. I�ll be happy when I can once again eat meals on the roof of my building. That time is coming soon enough, although I�m quite aware that this week is nothing but a tease and that I�ll be once again swathed in Siberia gear and leaning at a 45-degree angle to make it to the bus stop against the wind.

Mother Nature -- Bah humbug!

Anyway, that night I fully intended on staying in and reading, having already convinced myself that an Oscars party was not to be. A friend called and asked if I�d rescue him from his roommate�s get-together, so we met at Cesar�s for some killer margaritas, dinner, and baseball talk.

Two margaritas, three mini burritos, and a rant on why the AL is better than the NL later, I stumbled to my front door and was asleep by eleven.

All in all, it was a lovely weekend. �