End of Day, End of Week

It's already after 10:00! Where do the days go? I have been really enjoying working for data.world in my contract writing gig. Today I went in for much of the day and had my own desk in an empty office. Next week I'll go in some more and take over an unused desk in the data pen next to one big brain and across from another. I'm getting sharper and smarter through osmosis.

Today the snow melted here--though temps are still in the mid 30's--and new snow dumped on Atlanta. Winter has us in his icy grasp. Guess I won't be looking in on the bees till it warms up a bit.

Tomorrow is a glass, home admin, and Christmas day. I have three orders to get out, presents to order (sadly not make) and ship, and bills to pay. It's like I was a regular 9-5 person home for the weekend's chores!

Now, after this excruciatingly brief post, I'm off to snuggle the spouse under a big down comforter.

And Now We Have Snow!

 It has been a very long, very full day. The way this tech writing gig has worked over the past couple of days is that I get in an hour or so in the morning, a couple three hours in the afternoon, and then three four hours after dinner. It gets me a decent number of hours (especially given that I haven't had any full writing days yet), but I am pretty wound up by bedtime after the hours of intensely focused work. Tomorrow is the first full, uninterrupted, otherwise-unscheduled, writing day and I am looking forward to it. Much of my first day was spent installing software, getting accounts set-up, and beginning the organizational process. I also did a lot of concept review. Yesterday I didn't feel like I made much headway, but today I finalized the structure I'm using for the docs, the meta data, and the individual page format. Now I feel like I'm moving forward on the real meat of the writing.

Enough about work though. The real topic of interest tonight is snow! I have seen snow in Atlanta, and ice in Austin, but I have never seen fluffy white snow on the ground in Austin before. Dave said our botanical garden in the snowy night is beautiful, but I didn't make it out to see it--too busy writing. In typical southern fashion, school is closed tomorrow and Dave's company is suggesting employees stay home in the morning until the risk of icy roads is past. So we'll all be cozy together. We had a big fire tonight to celebrate winter and snow, and I think I'll go ahead and have one going all day tomorrow. There aren't that many times here where a roaring fire is more than decorative, but we're in one now.

Speaking of time, it's time to make my way under the down comforter so visions of SQL can dance in my head.

It Rained All Day

What's with all the rain? I don't have a rain gauge up, but it didn't stop raining all day. Seriously. It rained heavily all last night and it's still raining now. That's a lot of water!

I spent another day slaving over a hot laptop... well at least part of another day. The rest was spent working on learning a skill (piano lesson), being healthy (working out), and being a good parent (having lunch with my child and taking her out after school to photograph architecture for her photography class assignment). Tomorrow I have more time to devote to writing so I can get past the first page hump.

A first page doesn't seem like much, but when you are learning a new writing platform and tweaking your outline for the rest of the doc, a lot else gets done along with the first page. Tomorrow will see me writing example queries against my test database and finishing the format for the next major set of pages. My goal is to get through all of the Basic material by the end of the week. I doubt if I can finish Intermediate, Advanced and Reference by the end of next week, but I need something to do while we're on vacation besides relax and have fun!

Speaking of relaxing... Tonight gets another short post and I'm off to bed.

Exhilarated and Terrified

'Tis a night fit neither for man nor beast. The rain is sheeting off the roof and the wind is blowing it hard against the windows. The storm is both exhilarating and a bit terrifying--much like my new contract job at Data.World. This morning I got a Mode account and used it to review the Mode SQL tutorial, and I also got a GitHub account. At 1:00 pm I attended the kick-off meeting for the project and signed a six-page independent contractor agreement. When I got home from the meeting (3:00), I added Data.World to my heretofore unused Slack account, installed and configured Atom (per the website, a hackable text editor for the 21st century), and added a new Data.World shared board to my Trello account. I even started writing the first doc! All that was before dinner. After dinner I wrote the complete outline and hierarchical structure for all the docs--really delving into what I need to write to successfully complete my contract. I am simultaneously exhilarated and terrified. I don't have any doubt that I can do it. My only question is, can I do it to my (and Dave's) standards before the end of the month?

Now it's after 11:30 and my head is spinning from so much writing. I have to go put it on a pillow. In a dark room. Next to a spouse. (Mine).

Let the Day Begin...

...let the day begin, let the day... start. But not this minute as it's 10:00 at night. (This is another listen-along post: play the video below while you read.) When the day does begin, it will be with a new chapter in my book of life. Tomorrow I start a career as a full-time, contract, technical writer! Oh it's not a long contract--only a couple of weeks--but if it goes well, I can see myself eventually taking on more contract writing. I'm not quitting glass anytime soon--or giving up on my other creative pursuits and projects--but it's time to take writing out for a spin again.

Today we (Dee, Todd and I) unloaded the minivan after the weekend's art festival and then I took it one step further and vacuumed it out since all the removable furniture (including the center console) was out. Then it was time to take them to the airport so they could fly home to Atlanta. My afternoon was spent curled up with an old romance novel I first read in the 1970's by Kathleen Woodiwiss and a nap. I gave myself an afternoon off--free from cleaning, bills, email, or work of any kind. It felt great, and now I'm recharged to start anew.

The art festival was a really good experience, and all that remains is a wrap-up meeting and sending an evaluation form to all the artists and vendors. All in all it went much more smoothly than it had any right to--and it was because there were a lot of parents and students volunteering to help out. Students set up and broke down the cafeteria, unloaded and reloaded artists' cars, and worked the Students Making Films table taking donations, and selling food tickets and bottled water. Meredith, Carlotta and Kim did graphic design, Facebook and Twitter feeds, Jason managed all the set-up and show logistics, and Ken wrangled musicians and student volunteers. The show would have failed without them. We also had all the other parents who signed up to work shifts at the table with the students. I'll admit it--I overstaffed. But I figured it was better for students to be a bit bored for a couple of hours than for the patrons or artists to have  long wait for service. I have had first hand experience of just how bad things can get when a show is not properly staffed and logistics is run badly (and not just for one year--can anyone say Chicago Tardis?).

So now to bed, but eager to Let the Day Begin tomorrow.

Peace On Earth, Goodwill Toward Men

A Fair of the Art is over! It was a good weekend, and a good experience, but I'm ready to get back to normal life. The food vendors were not as happy as they could have been--they had a pretty bad show. One of them only did yesterday, the cotton candy vendor didn't come back today either, and the face painter never showed up at all. Nor did she let me know she wasn't coming Nor did she reply to my email and text messages asking her where she was. I was polite, but unless she had a major emergency, her behavior was pretty bad. All the artists I spoke to had mostly good things to say about their experience. Now it's all over but for the artist evaluations and the wrap-up meeting.

Tomorrow I am declaring a day of rest and doing nothing more than unloading the van, taking Dee and Todd to the airport, and firing a kiln load of glass. As I look at that list it doesn't seem like much of a day off after all... But it's what I'm going to get as I start a new tech-writing gig for two weeks on Tuesday. Yep, that's right I am trying out a new profession, and if I like it, I'm going to expand on it! The only thing I'm not thrilled about is that it is going to have an impact on what I do for Christmas. I had a bunch of presents I was going to make for family, and now it's going to be tough to find time.

I could have made Christmas in the evening, but I found out last night from my child that her designs for the fashion show were to be finished by last Thursday. We just went and bought the fabric today. I also coaxed out of her that the girl she was partnering with did her own designs and sewing. Originally the deal was that Jessie would design and the other girl would sew. Guess who's doing the sewing now (and before December 13th)?

The first dress is a form-fitted white brocade sheath with large gold ruffles over one shoulder and around the hem and a beaded band around the top. Like this one, but fancier, and sleeveless.

The second is a v-necked, sleeveless blue satin with a gold lining under the skirt and a stiff interfacing in the skirt. It's somewhat like this red one, but has shoulders and a beaded lace shawl (which also needs to be made).

I don't have a pattern for either of these dresses--I have sketch. A couple of sketches, and a week and a half. This is going to be a challenging project! Then there is the men's suit she needs to make as the last piece in her collection. We're going to do it next, or her work partner is going to have to do that one for her.

Now I drag myself to bed and hope for ten straight hours of sleep.

Live From A Fair Of the Art!

It was a lovely afternoon at McCallum High School and a great day for everyone to come out and buy ART! The emerging artists at the festival were so cute I just wanted to hug all of them. I did some mentoring, I did some shopping (from all of them). It was a good day. The only down note came when I discovered that I had put the wrong hours on the website (!). I had 10-4 Saturday and 11-5 Sunday. Thanks to this faux pas, Meredith had the wrong time on the poster, and I had the wrong time on the postcard. Oy. So we left it up to individual artists and vendors as to whether they left at 4:00 or stayed till 5:00. They split about 50/50, but everyone was gone by 4:45.

Organizing a show is an incredibly difficult endeavor--especially with only two months from conception to inception. I was awake at 4:00 and and had to get up and take my phone into the bathroom so I wouldn't wake Dave and I could add things to my list of all the things I needed to take and do today. Tomorrow will be a much more low-key day. I'll take Jessie shopping for her Fashion Show project fabric tomorrow morning before heading to the At Festival. There is another project I have just added to my plate and that is seamstress for my daughter's two fancy dresses for the Art Department Fashion Show in January. Jessie designed two dresses, and other girl on her team is supposed to sew them. I have a feeling I might be picking up that slack a bit.

I would love to write more both about the art festival and about the fashion show project, but I have already fallen asleep 3-4 times during the course of writing this post. So I'll do a recap tomorrow of all the new and wonderful projects!

'Twas the Night Before the Art Fair...

...and all through the house, all the creatures were drinking, even the mouse. The scotch it was flowing... Okay done rhyming, back to drinking. Dee has wine, Todd has scotch, Dave has scotch, I have scotch, and Jessie has diet coke. It was a hard day in the Griffith household--and Todd and I still aren't set up. Got to be back at 7:00 am tomorrow to finish and be ready for the masses of public who will undoubtedly swarm the doors starting at 10:00. Except that all of McCallum is going to San Antonio tomorrow for the football game. Apparently the McCallum Knights are 12-0 for the season and the last time that happened was around 1966. Back then when they were 12-0 they played the same San Antonio team they're playing tomorrow. Let's hope there are plenty of other people in Austin who need art and are coming to shop tomorrow. And those McCallum people better show up Sunday!

Scotch in bed is my next step. I take it now...

Loooong Day

The synthesis of my day came at 2:30 when Dee texted me to let me know she and Todd had landed (they flew in for the art fair this weekend) and I wrote back that they couldn't have landed because they weren't due in till 5:00. Her response? "You are such a hot mess this week". Yep. Yep I am. I am juggling lots and lots of stuff--not all of it having to do with the art fair. Christmas is coming, I start an intense two-week technical-writing gig next week, and then we head out of town for the week before Christmas. Hot mess is probably putting it kindly. On the other hand, I am still consistently throwing the best pottery I have ever done, and I no longer have the fear that's it's accidental and I'm going to wake up and not be able to do it again. I can finally feel the clay--not feel the sensation of the clay in it's state of inertia, but actually feel the intention of the clay and know where and how to move my fingers to make it do what I want. It's a heady feeling.

Tomorrow I get up and unpack all the work I moved from Atlanta and the work that Todd recently made and shipped here. Then we'll go through it and decide what to take to the festival this weekend. Then we'll dig through everything to find display furniture and maybe stands and table cloths. At some point we're going to have to price it. And I should probably have business cards. Oh fan me, I feel another hot mess coming on.

Though I am a bit embarrassed that recently the blog entries are barely longer than Facebook posts (and some of them could almost be tweets), I am nonetheless to tired to write more. I need some ice water and to crash next to my already snoring spouse. Tomorrow will be killer.

The Christmas Season is Officially Here

The tree is trimmed, Christmas music is on rotation for the next four weeks, and tomorrow the stockings will be hung by the chimney with care. Tomorrow the lights go up around the windows too--and Dee and Todd arrive to do A Fair of the Art! I am very excited to see them both and to do a little festival again. I haven't even unpacked all the work I moved from Atlanta yet so I'm not sure what all I'm going to sell, but I know I have plenty! And Todd shipped me three boxes of wire and glass so we are set there too.

Tomorrow is also ceramics class--we didn't have one last week due to Thanksgiving, and I missed it sorely. I have a Christmas present or two in process--and I still hold out hope for finding the rice bowl I made Jessie for her birthday, oh, quite some time ago. I understand it can take a long time to fire pieces, but come on! It's been almost two months since I put it in for the glaze firing! The school has a very clear No Production Work policy, but there are definitely people who are making quantities of pieces to sell. It's very frustrating for those of us who only make a couple of pieces a week--at best--to not have our work fired because some people have way more than their fair share of the kiln space. I know I sound whiny, but I made that piece last spring and put it in to glaze the second week of last session so I'd have it in plenty of time for Jessie's birthday the first of November, and it still hasn't come out. I hope the one or two Christmas presents I made can actually get fired in time.

I can't believe it's already 11:00! The Barenaked Ladies are singing Three Ships, and that is a good place to end the night. Peace on earth, goodwill towards all.

I Have Done What I Can

I have Liked, I have retweeted, I have updated the Featured Artist on the website. I have sent out booth numbers and requests for load-in times to artists. I have monitored the sign-up sheets for volunteers to make sure we're covered there. I have communicated with food vendors. I have done all I can do--including making my own art!--to get ready for this weekend.

Today was a beautiful day here--sunny, cool, a light breeze. In short, it was perfect studio weather so I succumbed to the urge and made glass. I filled the two larger kilns with pieces for Todd to wrap, and I'll do it again tomorrow. I wish he were staying longer so I could put his little fingers to work and get a bunch of new pieces to photograph and launch before the winter markets. If we're going to do this whole not-do-shows thing we really need to get the website working for us! Maybe I can get him to stay just 2-3 more days. I could send him home Thursday and have a LOT of new glass work to put up.

But for now, I keep my nose to the art fair grindstone, and I look forward to this weekend being over.

Austin City Limits Taping

I think you're not supposed to take pictures of the musicians,
but I just couldn't resist this shot of the lights above the stage.

I was fortunate to be invited to be a friend's guest at the Austin City Limits taping of Dan Auerbach tonight, and it was amazing. At one point he was joined on stage for a couple of songs by an older black man wearing black leather pants, a long, black leather duster, black cowboy boots, a black leather cowboy hat, and dark sunglasses. He was wearing a shirt too, and it was nice, but the rest of his ensemble was extraordinary. And then he sang. He had the most beautiful voice! I wish I had caught his name. It's not on the program. Man oh man, he rocked those leather pants! And his voice! He really had personal style and charisma, and he had the audience howling for more.

The rest of today was pedestrian in comparison. I took the child to school. I got a B-12 shot. I worked out. I took the child to lunch. I swept the floor. I worked on A Fair of the Art. Some days are like that. And some nights are like tonight--great Italian food and live music with a friend.

A Thing of Beauty

A few days ago I posted that I had had an epiphany about what constitutes art. Tonight I went to see Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing Missouri with my spouse. I am so overwhelmed with the sheer beauty and artistry of that movie that I am compelled to finally put virtual pen to virtual paper about art.

Some people might claim that something is "art" because it evokes an emotional response in the viewer. It isn't about beauty, it's about the message and the visceral reaction. There is a scene in the Square where a floor cleaner accidentally sweeps up some gravel that is part of an exhibition made up of piles of gravel on the floor. The message that goes with the exhibition is that "you have nothing". Okay, fine. The artist had an idea that (s)he wanted to convey about the superficiality of our consumption-based lives or some such. And it might be a valid message. And the piles of gravel might be thought-provoking. But it's not art. An article in the Telegraph about the film just after it won the Palme d'Or at Cannes this year mentions the same scene and ties it to real-life:

"In one scene of the film, a cleaner sweeps away an art installation by West's character.

It echoes a real-life event in 2001, when an installation by Damien Hirst was thrown away by a cleaner at the Eyestorm gallery, London, who had mistaken the piles of full ashtrays, empty beer bottles and newspapers were the remnants of a party the night before."

Yeah, okay. ashtrays, beer bottles and newspapers arranged artistically are not art. They can be (and probably were intended to be in that instance) artistically arranged to maximize the statement--but that still doesn't make the installation art.

So what makes art? I believe that in art you can see the anima, the spirit force, the soul of the artist peeking through. There is something of the artist in the art--something more than a message. An installation can be as slick and polished as wet marble in its presentation, but that doesn't make it art. In fact the whole notion of an installation flies in the face of art to me.

And yet there was art in the movie The Square. It wasn't all mocking of modern art. The protagonist was a man who clearly believed passionately that the installations in the museum were art. He was sincere in his attitude that the art was in the presentation of the message. But a statement alone, a message alone is not art. Art can make a statement, but there has to be some art there, not just the statement. The movie was art--it had soul and life and humor and pathos. It made a statement about art in an artistic way.

Three Billboards is also a piece of art. The acting, the direction, the script, the music was all beautifully interwoven. I'm listening to Just Walk Away Renee by the Four Tops (one of the most powerful musical pieces in the film--and that's saying a lot as it's up against Townes Vandt and a beautiful operatic piece) right now as I write. I don't know if the movie has a message per se, but it pulls your heart from your body. It's one of those rare movies in which almost everyone is flawed, but you really care about them and can relate to them all anyway. In the course of writing this post I have watched the trailer below three times--and I just saw the movie. Soul. Anima. Art.

Today I am a Web Master

I have spent entirely too much time on the computer today to do a post now. I reworked the entire A Fair of the Art website in preparation for the event itself next weekend, and I am really pleased with it. I left the applications up, but I will take those links off-line tomorrow. I also slipped the new Siyeh Studio website up last week with no fanfare. I don't know if email is working (a good thing to have, email)but the rest of it is up and functional for now. Tomorrow is soon enough to talk about the upcoming holidays and their decorative impact on our abode.

G'Night All!

Friday Was Not Black Here

I did shop today, but it was to buy a wreath and a couple of red chili swags from a lady and her son in a pick-up on the side of the road. I did not enter a store. In other shopping news, we didn't get around to buying a Christmas tree, but I'm going to roust everyone out of bed in the morning so we can beat the crowds and get one tomorrow. And that's enough about shopping.

This past week has been a time of profound thought for me, but my thoughts haven't done more than swirl around in my head and peek out a bit in my writing. I'm not sure if it's that I'm still processing them, or if I'm just too tired to reformulate them coherently at the end of each full day, but I need to get at least a couple of them out before they fade back into obscurity. The first big one is that I am finally able to articulate why I don't think piles of gravel arranged on the floor in a grid, or an led light cable put into paving stones (both in the movie The Square) are art--even though they might be in an art museum and have a fancy artist statement behind them. I have also (finally) fully synced my mind with both my body and my anima, and it is not only the most liberating feeling, but it also affects my every interaction with people around me.

Both of these streams of thought and the resultant realizations are worth exploring here on virtual paper. Tonight, however, is not the night. Maybe I'll post earlier tomorrow. I wish I weren't so tired and the spouse weren't waiting for me, but I am and he is. I wish I had time to puzzle through that last grammatical construction a bit more (subjunctive in English) as he weren't feels much more awkward to me that I weren't, but I believe both are correct.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This lovely day began with leaving Las Vegas, and though I was sad to leave friends old and new, I was glad to get back to the bosom of my family. We shared a lovely meal with three generations of friends, and are home ready to snuggle into bed. I didn't go wild on the cheese plate--I teetered on the verge, but I pulled myself back and served about half of what I got (which was still way too much). It was appreciated, and I anticipate many evenings of cheese and gaming in the coming weeks. The spouse is calling (figuratively), and I must go.

Happy Thanksgiving to all, and to all a good night!

Austin Bound

Last night in Las Vegas, heading back home for a family Thanksgiving before dawn has even cracked tomorrow. It was a good day, it was a good trip. I was somewhat reluctant to come (even though it was a big thing to get the invitation) because I was hesitant to leave my family right before the holidays. But this trip was an unexpected growth experience for me. On it I returned to my jubilant younger years when I loved to meet people and socialize and spend time with them. I contrast this pre-Thanksgiving time with last year's ore-Christmas time (the holiday party for Dave's company) and it's not just night and day, it's a different time stream. Last year I remember not wanting to talk to anyone and going off to basically hide in a corner while my husband trooped up to sing karaoke with everyone else. Talk about a reversal of roles! This year (this trip) I was enthused to meet new people, learn their stories, probe their ideas, experiences and philosophies, and to share mine with them. It's hard to reconcile myself then and now as being the same person.

So now I go home to my family whom I missed a lot even as I was having fun, and to socializing again--this time with known friends. Thanks to the past couple of days, I feel much more confident in my ability to enjoy it and not stress out. Thank you Zaga-Jackie for inviting me on this marvelous adventure!

Las Vegas Love or Hate

If someone asks you what you think about Des Moines Iowa, you may or may not have an opinion. But everyone, it seems, has an opinion about Las Vegas--and a strong opinion at that. There are many things about Las Vegas that I dislike, but also many things I really like. What I like most about Vegas is the humanity. This is a sybaritic town devoted to enjoyment and pleasure so the majority of the people who live and work here are in a service industry. All around you all day are waiters, receptionists, store clerks, dealers in the casinos, valets, housekeeping personnel, and a host of others working day and night to make sure we visitors have a good experience. What I have noticed the most this visit is how happy and friendly the vast majority of them are. Maybe it's where we're going and what we're doing (craps seems like a very happy game for the most part), but the dealers last night all went out of their way to help Gina and me learn craps--even reminding us to place specific bets and to turn some of our bets off at certain points in the play. All of our waiters, receptionists, store clerks, spa personnel--everyone, in short--has been smiling and friendly. This is not a place where the surly make it. The other people you trip over everywhere are the tourists. I could happily sit and people-watch here all day. This is the world's great melting pot with all races, ages, and sexes represented.

I could talk about the disproportionate number of homeless people and drug addicts here. I could focus on the extravagant waste of water and resources that go to support this town in the desert. Both of those are real, but so is the contented joy of the people I have interacted with over the past day and a half. There is a good side to Las Vegas, and I am enjoying it to the fullest for these few days. I wish I weren't so happily exhausted because I could make a much more compelling case, but my eyelids have closed so so must the laptop. 

Viva Las Vegas!

It's 9:00 pm, we have been tucked up in our adjoining rooms for at least a half hour, and I am going to do a quick post before closing my eyes for the night. I am in Vegas till Thursday morning with my friend/neighbor Zaga and a bunch of her friends. Tonight was just Zaga, another friend of hers from Boulder, and I. We hit the buffet about 4:30 for dinner, and then went into the casino to play some craps. Zaga already spent an evening teaching Jessie and me the rudiments of craps so I could maneuver my way around a little. I must say it was exciting! I got to throw the dice a couple of times and the first time I had a really long streak. I managed to throw an all small roll and there were two people betting on it. It pays 34:1 so I was pretty popular for a moment!

Back in the room I took this picture of the bathroom. Directly in front of me at the end of the tub is a window that looks out into the main room and then out the window to the Strip in the distance. To the right _in the middle of the mirror_ is a television! In the mirror! The shower is behind the glass door ahead front left, and the toilet is in another glass-doored room just opposite the shower. What incredible luxury. I can't help but be impressed.

But back to craps. I like craps. I know that it has the worst odds for players and is considered by many to be a sucker's game, but it's great entertainment when a shooter is on fire and everyone is betting on lots of different numbers and combinations. I won a ton tonight on hard six and a couple of times on hard eight (two three's and two four's). I love the way everyone at the table cheers for each other and gets into the superstitions of betting and rolling. Tomorrow I'm going to take my $3 in winnings out for a spin. I even have a marquee card which the casino uses to track how much you play in order to decide who should get comped rooms and meals. We're in comped rooms now--thank you Zaga!

Now sleep before more food, drink, gambling, and excess.

Friends Around the Table

There are few things as satisfying as welcoming friends into your home who have traveled a long way, feeding them, and providing them a cozy place to stay. Tonight we were so privileged as to have four wonderful people from Atlanta arrive at our door on their way west to the Grand Canyon for Thanksgiving. It has been so long since we've had such a lively crew sitting around the table laughing and sharing stories and wine over a good meal. Tomorrow morning they are off for a 10 am showing of Justice League at the Alamo Drafthouse, and I leave for Las Vegas before they get back. But I'll see them for breakfast. Jessie is going with them to the movie even though she's already seen it.

So Las Vegas! I have been invited by Zaga to join a small, eclectic, dynamic, opinionated group of women on their annual Las Vegas Thanksgiving revelry. I'm only staying till Thanksgiving morning and then coming home for the rest of the holiday with the family, but I have a feeling the three days I'm there are going to be a wild ride.

For Thanksgiving my spouse asked me to curate a cheese and charcuterie plate to take over to some friends' house for dinner. I may have gone a bit over board. I have 19 kinds of cheese, three kinds of thinly sliced smoked meat, two kinds of sausage--duck and wild boar, two pâtés, three fruit spreads, three kinds of pears, two kinds of apples, four kinds of olives, three preparations of almonds (including marcone almonds in honey), three kinds of crackers, pumpkin seeds, ginormous grapes, and a pomegranate. I think there are six adults and four kids. We'll be having another games night/party (or five) (or ten) with the leftovers.

As I think of how to layout this marvelous spread of munchies, I picture a 7 feet long 2 X 12 plank of some interesting wood (maybe blue pine!) that runs the length of a dining room table and has a beautiful inlay pattern in it. Everything would be laid out on the plank and would meander the length of the table. Oh that would be so cool! But not this time. At least not for the inlay...