my sunday sleep was interrupted by a phone call. usually i mute the phone and go back to bed, but i thought maybe it was renata calling to confirm tonight's dinner so i answered it. it turned out to be bruce, at the cusp of an online computer purchase, asking me some questions. after answering them i couldn't fall back asleep so i started my day. mike was studying in the kitchen and when wendy woke up they went out for brunch. i had some leftover chicken noodle soup for lunch then made half a dozen flan in preparation for tonight. mike came back and continued studying, while i watched some television in the living them did some reading, finishing my battle for berlin book. the soviets made such a mess of WWII. even though they won the war, the wake of destruction was just obscene, from the property damage to the rape of german women to stalin's purging of any soldiers or civilians suspected of differing ideology. i finally found the time to work on my costa rica travelogue (2 months overdue), finished the entry for 031111, will do the rest of the entries when i get some more time.

when evening rolled around, wendy came back again. she and mike ordered japanese takeout for dinner while i started to prepare the baby back ribs i've stowed away in the fridge for the past few months. when renata finally arrived around 7ish, it was just in time for the ribs. she brought along a piece of cake from her parents' party. she came wearing an university of toronto hoodie that she found at the garment district. it's been a while since she's been over my place, and i showed her the new fish, including snouty, the little cherry barb that could. i cut the ribs into slices and we ate in the living room while watching the golden globes.

this year the golden globes award more than lives up to its namesake. actresses weren't shy to show off their cleavage. even jennifer lopez (whom renata said looked "sad" now that bennifer is no longer an item), queen of the plunging neckline, was outdone by some of the other guests. lost in translation won a bunch of awards, while lord of the rings took home best director and best drama, not a surprise there, the golden globes was just doing the right thing. angels in america virtually swept every category it was nominated in. renata raved about the series, which she saw this weekend at her parents' place. the best golden globes i've ever seen has got to be 2 years ago, when jennifer garner won for best actress in a dramatic series, and andie macdowell wore the most memorable dress i've ever seen on an award show.

for dessert, we had some flan, which was very good, i baked it just right so that it has a creamy consistency, and not too much sugar that it'd taste too sweet. renata left around 10ish, after a ceremonial exchange of chewing gum (a dentyne for a koolerz), apologizing profusely for falling asleep on the couch again. from past experience, i know that she doesn't last very long after 10pm, considering how early she wakes up in the morning. after she got all bundled up, she stumbled out into the night, the temperature registering zero degrees fahrenheit. i finished watching the rest of the golden globes then called it a night myself.