If you’ve been anxiously awaiting the latest edition of Women of Substance, your prayers are being answered! Tonight we celebrated one year of our monthly (well, except for June and November but hey, 10/12 ain’t bad!) dinner gatherings. When we had dinner together last January 10th at Metro Grill I’m not sure we had actual plans to keep meeting but then we named ourselves in February and it was a done deal.
Tonight we had planned to continue our series of Dive Dining by eat at The Cedars but their cuisine and Vickie’s weight loss attempts didn’t gel – thank goodness! Instead we went to Nearly Famous Deli where Vickie once worked as a waitperson while in college.
And now for the parts we can tell:
- When Vickie worked at Nearly Famous, everyone shared in the tips – from all the wait staff to the kitchen crew – and they still do.
- Vickie’s mom is here for a long weekend – she made her first solo drive from St. Louis earlier today and Vickie was relieved when she arrived safe and sound.
- Our waiter, Thomas, had been told that I liked to flirt – and I sometimes do but before the evening was over, he got to be a bit annoying. We found out we were his only table for a large portion of the evening and he was quite chatty.
- Robin just returned from a trip to South Carolina for work – she’s very energized with the new responsibilities but had forgotten that HR means constant issues.
- Hannah has now learned how to curl her hair with a straightening iron. She has 2 crushes – one at church and one at school – which means she can never leave the house without looking fabulous.
- Vickie’s hubby Chas sometimes lacks the “I shouldn’t say this now” filter.
- Vickie’s new “job” for me is to apply for the editorial board of the News-Leader – that is something I’ve considered but need to wait until I finish my term as Rotary president.
- According to Hannah, the guys who work at Lowe’s are younger and cuter than their counterparts at Home Depot. Guess I’ll do my own research – I need to hit the Depot for paint samples tomorrow.
- Robin had a friend call and ask if she thought Vickie would take on a volunteer job – Robin declined for Vickie and then referred this person to someone we all 3 dislike! Go Robin!
- Robin and Jim are taking their new dog, Roby, to obedience school – so they can learn how to be obedient to the dog!
- One large manufacturer in Springfield will soon close production every other Friday and employees can either take a day of vacation or no pay.
- A recent unscientific poll about the effects of the economy on business (by one of our members) shows that judges are busier because people are basically stupider and getting into more trouble; vault makers are seeing a drop in business due to more cremations (they’re cheaper than a traditional burial), technology is seeing tougher times because companies don’t want to spend lots of $ on new tech stuff and the fraud unit of a local CPA firm is doing quite well thanks to a rise in crime.
- Robin’s sister-in-law took a class on couponing and filled all the Christmas stockings with goodies like shampoo, conditioner and toothpaste. She recently spent $13 and got $93 worth of stuff. My kind of woman. Where’s the class?
- Hannah got some $ for Christmas and opted to buy expensive shampoo and conditioner. Vickie isn’t sure if the end result is better but apparently Hannah thinks it is and that’s all that matters.
- The wood stove that Vickie’s hubby installed last year is working quite well – they have used their furnace very rarely this year and not much propane. The downsides include a layer of dust in the house and the fact that the room with the stove stays extremely warm compared to the rest of the house.
- There is a website where you can sell unwanted gift cards for 60% of face value.
- Hannah wants to join the ping pong team in high school next year – she thinks the guys who play on the team are cute.
- Vickie got an email on Facebook from her high school crush. Robin and I are still in the dark ages since we’re not on Facebook.
- I was interviewed this morning for a feature article in Ozarks Signature magazine – have no idea which issue but they’re sending a photographer out next week for a photo shoot.
- The local sales tax issue has a better chance of passing if we have crappy weather on election day.
Of course we had plenty more to say in the couple of hours we were together but since we never want to incriminate anyone (friend or foe), those conversations will remain with us.
We’re veering away from Dive Dining and at Vickie’s suggestion will make 2009 the Year of Italian Dining for us – next month is D’Arpino’s.
I can already taste the garlic – oh never mind, that’s still in my taste buds from the pasta primavera I ate tonight!
