Sofi turned another year older on the 21st, so she and I went to Luiggi's and had a great meal. Afterwards, we went to my parents' house where they treated us to some birthday cake from DQ. We were planning on going to a movie but I wasn't feeling well so we called it a night.
I didn't feel so hot the next day but my condition improved and I was well enough to go to our union meeting that night.
Hali was in town for a conference that Friday so that night we celebrated Sofi's birthday again, this time with the help of the whole family. We went to a fantastic restaurant called "Teppanyaki Japanese Steak House" with serves food of the same name. I've had teppanyaki several times before and was surprised to learn that not only does Regina have such a restaurant, but we asked and they've been in business for over 11 years! The food was fantastic and reasonably priced - I highly recommend it! After supper we went back to my parents' place to finish off the birthday cake and watch the rest of the Rider game. Sofi got the Desperate Housewives Season 1 DVD box set from Hali and she's still smiling about that :)
The family out for Sofi's birthday supper
I had planned to head to the Rams game on the Saturday but couldn't round up enough support to do so so I didn't go - which is a shame because apparently it was a great game even though they lost. I actually felt under the weather again, so I didn't end up doing a whole lot that day other than go to bed early.
That Sunday I had to get up early to work, and then afterwards Sofi and I walked down to the Leg to watch the annual Police Memorial. It was a windy and cold day but a nice service and parade. Afterwards we had a snack in the Rotunda before heading home. I spent the rest of my day doing work and enjoying some fine television programming.
The Police Memorial 2005
Monday night me and Sofi met up with Zab, Zab's buddy Simon, Tyler, Blair, and Kyla for some brews and wings at Brewster's North. It was nice to finally be able to respond to one of Tyler's invitations in a positive manner :)
Wednesday was a great day. That night we met up with my mom and her friend Helena (among other faces old and new) at the Casino Show Lounge for Mike MacDonald's show. Not only was it great, but it was a fantastic value, since the opener (Lori Ferguson) was funny and Mike performed for well over an hour - not bad for $20! It was also my first visit to the Show Lounge and I was very impressed - it's a nice place to see a show!
Wednesday also marked the day that Sofi and I finished watching Season 1 of 24. We managed to watch 24 episodes in just over a month, and we had a great time doing so. It's a great show and I look forward to seeing the rest of the seasons. Props to Nick for lending it to us! As much as I advocate watching as much television as possible, there are only three shows that I really watch - Family Guy, American Dad!, and (during the summer) Big Brother. I also try to watch SNL and WWE programming if I can, but that's about it. I think I am going to add 24 to the list - if you've seen the show you know what I'm talking about!
Thursday it was back to Brewster's North for me at least, and I met up with Tyler, Brad, Blair, Jerrod, and Zab. It was good times and we somehow got away with drinking very little, which was very nice on the ol' wallet!
I had the day off on Friday so I spent most of it traveling around town picking up various things. I bought a programmable thermostat for a sweet deal thanks to Chris at Canadian Tire. It was super easy to install and I'm hopeful it will translate into some savings this winter since the price of natural gas is going up approximately 10000% this winter. That night Sofi and I went out to the Watering Hole (at Maxwell's Amusements) for a retirement steak night and dance my union put on for the many folks who have retired this year at the company. It was nice to visit with people away from work for a change and the food was decent, albeit slow! We didn't stay too late, however, and packed it in relatively early.
Yesterday I spent my morning shopping for hockey equipment. Yes, I am finally getting back into hockey after a multi-year absence! We have a pickup game with the guys at work every Friday at lunch so this winter rather than taking my EDOs every other week I'm going to be playing hockey at lunch on Fridays and then taking the afternoon off. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to lacing up the skates again!
That afternoon it was time for my new Spanish class! This time, my lovely wife is teaching me and my parents. The instructor is hot so I'll be sticking with this class for as long as it takes ;)
Spanish lessons!
Last night at Brad's house, while the ladies enjoyed some kind of gift-buying party in the house, the boys gathered in the garage to watch the Riders destroy B.C. and play some poker. I did alright for a change, sticking it out until close to the end, but the game still went on for hours too long even though we tried to take measures to keep it shorter. It was hard to keep it short when we had 10 guys playing, I guess! I had a good time and enjoyed some fine brews so I can't much complain!
Today I haven't left the house. I've been catching up on work and other related activities in addition to my Sunday Family Guy / American Dad! ritual. I wish the weekend wasn't over, because it's my last non-holiday long weekend until probably the spring!
If you are at all interested, this Monday's RAW will be a three-hour "homecoming" extravaganza in honour of their return to the USA Network. I haven't had the opportunity to watch in a long time, so hopefully I'll have one tomorrow night!
This week I have a pretty full plate and then we are leaving for the cabin on Friday afternoon for the long weekend. My buddy Igor is probably driving down from Calgary to visit us there so the weekend will be a good time!