This weekend, we had our friends Scott and Lynne over to visit. We usually go down to Santa Cruz to visit them, because, well, it's Santa Cruz and thus more vacation-like than Oakland. But there was this cool Tres Chicas/ Tift Merritt concret at Slims in San Francisco Saturday night, so they came up here instead.

Tim and I did a whirlwind cleaning marathon Saturday morning/ early afternoon before they arrived, which was nice because our house is so clean you can roll around on the floors and not get covered in cat hair (we mopped because Lynne is allergic and also it needed it). Our new landlord, who ROCKS, was over with his housemate, who is very cool. They're moving in downstairs at the end of February, which I'm actually looking forward to. I think it's because they remind me of the nicer brand of frat boy I went to college with -- sort of a midwestern sense of humor that I can jive with much more readily than I could with the ultra-hip San Francisco women living downstairs right now. I mean, I like them, but we just don't click...

Anyway.

So, Scott and Lynne came over and we went to dinner at Tropix, a Carribean restuarant near our old neighborhood which is one of my favorites. We had black bean and corn cakes, crab cakes and plantains as appetizers, all of which were fabulous. My entree is what I always get there -- Jerk Salmon on Chipolte Mashers with dark cooked greens -- and this time it was so tender the fish fell apart as soon as I touched it with my fork. So good!

The show in SF was good, and I had the live music experience I always have -- that realization that I do really get something more out of live music than I do recorded. Yes, duh, but it's always a revelation when I'm sitting in the audience. Tift Merritt is up for some Grammy's this year, and with good reason -- she rocks. Nice, growly jazzy voice and great stage presence. Made me yearn to perform again.

Anyway, that night we put up our guests the best we could in the living room. We don't really have anything other than a sofa to offer, so Scott had to sleep on the floor. The cats --both of which disappear whenever any strange people are in the house -- were NOT happy that our guests hadn't left yet. Marzi mrowled almost the entire night (I'm told -- I wear earplugs almost every night because I'm a light sleeper). In the morning, they woke up to an odd smell. Yes, Marzi had taken a dump near their heads in the middle of the night. Luckily, it didn't get near them and they were both more amused than horrified, but still! Scott pointed out that if giants came and slept on the floor of the house we shared with friendly, familiar giants, we might be a little upset too. Very funny.

Brunch at the Blackberry Bistro (it's so fun to show off the great restaurants we frequent) followed by a game of Oh Hell! (I won!) and then they had to go. Sad. It's always so fun to see them...

Anyway, it's Sunday night. I've had a relaxing bath. I'm killing time watching the Discovery Channel's odd remake of the Pompeii disaster and updating my journal until Project Runway is on. Something about watching people create art, yes even fashoin art, really does it for me. That's good TV.

I just wish tomorrow didn't have to go and be a Monday.