Do whatever that it takes, he got a winner's mind.

My view on Saturday from Chelsea Brewery.

I tend to look forward to weekends not only for the time away from work but also to refresh me for another week. I aim to relax for the most part, but this weekend proved too busy with fun to reenergize. Not that I minded in the slightest.

On Friday evening a few people gathered at a delicious Thai restaurant in Williamsburg for a send-off to our lovely friend Jess who is moving to San Francisco. I arrived in the area early (I'm always early, to everything), but luckily another friend was nearby to catch up with over a glass of wine at the Brooklyn Winery--one of my favorite places in Brooklyn.

The dinner was joyous and the opposite of how sad goodbyes can be. Jess is moving on to another coast with positive vibes emenating; I am sad that SF is capturing a neighbor, friend, book club member, and writer's colony founder, but I am so happy for her.

Afterwards, another friend was in need of a social partner after having done the 'trading our stuff back' deed post-getting dumped. I met her at a nearby bar and we proceeded to clink our glasses to good riddance. Liars: not worth a damn.

I was most excited for Saturday when two of my favorite people, the pinnacle 'Good People' were in town. This couple, Bob and Erica, are so loved that no less than 15 people gathered for a brunch to enjoy their presence. Many college-era stories were rehashed and newly remembered with laughter. (If you were nearby you may have heard some phrases like: "And then he walked out of my apartment at dawn with my sheet wrapped around him to drive back to D.C.," "[Redacted] was in the hallway in her underwear because nobody was around to see her," or "Her mom walked into our apartment and blasted John Denver at 7am when everybody was still sleeping.")

The day was as long as it was fun: a great margarita-fueled brunch, a walk to Chelsea Piers to embarass our friend Dan who was playing hockey (hooting and hollering commenced), a stop in at Chelsea Brewery to enjoy the sunny day, and then a moment of respite and take-out at Kells' and Jon's apartment.

It was a moment needed since by 10pm we had to gather our second wind. This was also fueled by my latest collection of pump-up songs. Kells, Erica, and I proceeded to dance around the living room with Riggins jumping in unison. Riggins, a fun-loving French bulldog that you can see all over Kelly's blog is the best jump dancer.

We went to a nearby bar to meet more friends and as I am wont to do as of late, I entered in a long conversation about Game of Thrones in terms of the books and television show. I promised myself I wouldn't stay out late, but then, you know, a discussion of Book 3 happened.

On Sunday after leisurely getting up from bed, I met my friend Amy for lunch at Momofuku. We discussed our favorite movies and tv shows and books and then went to her apartment to watch a foreign film called A Royal Affair. We are both avid Hannibal fans and equally creeped out by the actor who plays the titular character, Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen. You may remember him as the 'leaky-eye villain' from Casino Royale. Anyway, I saw something on the internet about this Oscar-nominated film had a romantic storyline and in my astonishment told Amy we had to watch our old friend 'Mads,' (how great is that name?) in this period drama. And so we did. And it was GREAT; Mads is superb and I must admit he made me weep. Review here on Letterboxd.

Mads be smilin'!

Afterwards I came home and prepared myself some dinner and cleaned around the house. I was washing the dishes when I heard the key slip in the lock. I held my wet hands dripping over the kitchen sink while I leaned over to see who it might be.

It was Jesse. OF COURSE.

He was supposed to arrive Tuesday night but surprised me like he almost always does. It was wonderful to see him walk in the door and kiss him and pull at his ever-growing beard. The usual friends came over for Game of Thrones and Mad Men and then Jesse and I settled into bed as Pee Wee lay between us, purring loudly. We were both out within minutes of hitting the pillow; such a fun weekend it had been.