Weekend recap, and ready for takeoff

A recap of the last few days:

Thursday was our company Thanksgiving potluck; oh my, there was a lot of food. I brought pumpkin-apple muffins, made from a recipe I’ve tried a few times before (Epicurious.com). After work, I went with some co-workers to happy hour at Mon Ami Gabi; they have a selection of $5 appetizers and half-price wines. I had a generous portion of salmon burger with frites, along with some pinot noir, all for under $10. And a small jazz band started playing at 7 p.m., making it a perfect place for dinner and music. Afterwards we met up with Adam and some other folks at Union Jack’s, a British pub, for a few rounds of pool. I merely watched the game and drank my Boddington’s; I suck at pool.

On Friday night, Thom and I saw Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I tell you, I’ve been so out of the Harry Potter loop, that afterwards I had to ask Thom a whole bunch of questions about the characters and the story. The movie was pretty good, but I realized: Harry, I’m just not that into you. Maybe if I actually read the books (I’ve only read the first two), I’d be more engaged with the characters. (By the way, in this movie there seems to be a tendency among the main male characters towards shaggy hair; I myself have grown mine long out of laziness. I think I can now just say I have “Weasley hair.”)

On Saturday night we went to see public-radio star Ira Glass. He gave a great talk about storytelling and the power of radio. He had his soundboard with him, and highlighted his talk with music and taped quotes, just like he does on This American Life. As always, the man is awesome and his enthusiasm is inspirational. (Previously: “Lost in America.”) And hello to PJ, whom I met before the show started. It’s great meeting bloggers in the “real world”!

Today I’m off to the west coast for the next week. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ll be visiting my folks in Daly City, Calif., and my parents and I will be on a side trip in Las Vegas for the few days before Thanksgiving. Blogging here may be light this week (depending on how their dial-up connection decides to behave). Have a great week, and a happy Thanksgiving!