Talking shop

Here we are on a lovely snow-covered Sunday afternoon.  But don't worry, it won't last long.  The afternoon, I mean.  Possibly also the snow as I hear temperatures will be back up in the 40's by tomorrow.  Too bad that is not in time for my drive home today.

Oh well.

So it was an interesting weekend for once.  Let me tell you how it went.

On Friday, I had the unexpected good fortune to be let out of work just a tiny bit early.  This was helpful as it allowed me time to drive to downtown Minneapolis, find parking and meet my party for dinner.  After a briefly terrifying wait near the corner of 7th and Hennepin for my parents who decided that they were going to wait for me at 6th and Hennepin but not tell me (ha ha), we got things started.

As a long-time single gal, I have not had a great deal of experience in the realm of hanging out with the coworkers of one's significant other.  I am told that it is not always the easiest thing to do; sitting there listening while everyone "talks shop" while smiling and pretending to care.

For my Friday outing, I found myself in an interesting variation of that type of event.  In addition to my parents, I spent the evening with several of my father's coworkers and their spouses.  It wasn't as painful as you might imagine as they are all nice and welcoming, but it was a new experience for me.

We ate at a new-ish restaurant, and the highlights for me were the drinks and the mole sauce.  It was probably the most "authentic" Mexican food I have ever had, but also the most expensive.  Thank goodness for parents.

After dinner, we attended some comedy theater at a local institution that has new digs, The Brave New Workshop.  It was funny, entertaining and exciting as we were seated in the row immediately in front of the stage.  Thankfully, we were not asked up on stage, but it was still a very intimate way to take in a show.  I am not sure I would recommend these seats, but the show itself was definitely a good time.

Saturday morning was nothing too special - just my last day of internship.  A little sad, but a promising sign that the semester and my graduate school career are nearing their conclusions.  After internship, I had class.  By the time I walked onto campus, the sky had started to drop an odd hybrid of rain and ice pellets on the ground, but we were promised snow, so I was not surprised.

By the time I walked back to my car two and a half hours later, there was a good covering of about an inch.  The roads were not fun, but I followed my instincts honed by years of driving in such messiness and took it slow and easy.  I made it home in one piece to find my mother and a couple of her friends already busy in the kitchen.

The rest of my day was consumed with eating, drinking, talking and listening to my mom's former coworkers "talk shop."  The fundamental difference between this group and Friday's was not only age, but relative size/importance of their "shops."  Hint:  my father's group was older and they work for a major medical facility in the Twin Cities at the administrative level whereas my mother's group were all in their early 20's and work for a coffee shop chain.  Yeah.

Thankfully, everyone made it safely home last night and I was able to get a full night's rest.  Tomorrow I return to start another work week, but it's Thanksgiving week, so I not only get a day off of work, I also get a week off of school.  I know you're all jealous, but try to contain yourselves.

If anything half as exciting as this weekend happens before Thursday, perhaps you will hear from me again.  If not, have a lovely holiday and I hope that everyone is able to eat to their heart's content.