I will probably have to break this up into several installments. But then again, when I think that, you only end up with one installment and like a third of the story.

Last weekend our harvest roommate and his wife spent their last weekend. (A story in and of itself.) We spent Friday in the city having dinner with the winery owners and the winemaker and his lovely lady. We went to Sociale and had the most extravagant dinner ever. We had a 1961 Barbaresco, which was to die for and several other amazing Italian wines. I wish that I would have logged them all before we left the restaurant because now they are only a glimmer in my mind. On Saturday we had a “West Coast vs. East Coast Crab-Off”. It was the face off of the Maryland blue crab and the Pacific Coast dungeness. I can’t say there was a clear winner, but it certainly was a fun night. On Sunday we went to Pinot on the River. I love pinot noir. And this was such a special treat. We met the winemaker from the Hitching Post. I didn’t even know that it was the winery in “Sideways”. The pinots were delightful and the people even better.

But back to San Francisco. I have one word for you. LUSH. Seriously. The best bath products on the face of the planet. I don’t think I can walk in there and not want to try one of EVERY THING. Fifty percent of the stuff I want to lick it smells that good. Of course I resisted. But it was difficult at times.

The reviews of products will soon follow. There are already too many links in this post!

I have modified the JONAS secretary. And I have to say- a professional would have done a better job. So I am going to leave it as is and hope that I can get a friend who has lots of experience see if he can make it any better.

All in all though, it is still totally functional and I like it.

So I have a very love/hate relationship with IKEA. I would say more than 50% of the time, I end up returning what I bought. But of the 50% I keep, I keep the stuff that I truly love. Which leads into my latest purchase. I bought a JONAS secretary desk at IKEA last Thursday. And I think it is perfect. Except that the secretary desk cubby is 3 inches too short for my computer.

So I call IKEA and I tell them that the item is a little damaged (it was) and tell them that I can’t diassemble the drawers. Can I still return it?

No. Not for store credit. Not for anything but the exact same item.

So I say, “Are you sure?” And the costumer service person says, “Well you can take it back and see what they say.” Like I am returning a dish drainer. Or a whisk. LADY! This is a 150 pound desk that I just CARRIED up two flights of stairs and took 3 hours to assemble. And you want me to take it back and see what the people behind the counter decide?!?! That sounds like a great idea. And while I am at it, I will just rent myself a mover and moving truck to get it there, because your piece of shit, particleboard piece of furniture is banged up AND the wrong size.

But… I think I can just add two pieces of wood to either side of the desk and make it the right height for my needs. It won’t be perfect… but it will be perfect for me. It isn’t that is is the best thing for this house… but it will be for the house in Santa Rosa… if I ever get to move home.

So I have to say, that right now… my apartment is incredibly messy. Like there is crap all over the place. Mostly mail. Which makes me feel like a shut-in who can’t control her papers. So I am going to have to clean. And I have some crafts to whip out tonight.

And it is 7:45.

I don’t see how this will all work out… but I guess we will just have to wait and see.

I have to say…. going to the cabin with Porter is one of my favorite ways to spend my weekend. Of course, it meant seeing Winemonkey for only dinner on Friday, but he was busy working and hanging with the roommate this weekend anyway.

At the cabin, we built a puzzle, ate cheese, watched Pride and Prejudice (My rectory abutts her estate) and basically did whatever we felt like. We caught a wonderful sunset on our way to dinner on Friday night. It is hard to believe that it was so clear! It is never like that on the North Coast. We went for a short walk at the beach with Pebbles. The tide was in and we couldn’t make it very far. And we made chili.

Seriously. I try to forget how awesome it is to spend time up there with Porter. Because if I remember, it just makes me long for more.

When your boss and your boss’ boss and the boss above that AND the boss above that give you an extension to Monday on a project because they want you to join them for a beer… You pretty much take the extension, right?