I went out twice last weekend, which I never do.  Three times, if you count Friday morning, which I don't.

Friday morning, my mom, sister and I trekked out to the wilds of Bloomington to check out an art show at the big new Bloomington center for the arts, which also houses their police station.  That makes perfect sense, doesn't it?  Who's gonna try to steal some of the priceless art they've got hung when the cops are right there?

We were all a little disappointed with the show.  It featured three artists who's work we're pretty familiar with and whom we admire very much.  The problem was with the works chosen for this particular show.  The first fella had nothing but landscapes, which were gorgeous and we liked a lot.  The second chose mostly biblical illustrations and a few interior portraits.  His technique is wonderful but the paintings on exhibit were mostly kind of scary.  I don't know about you but I wouldn't want to hang a graphic, life size painting of the crucifixion in my living room.  The third artist, of whom all three of us are great admirers, showed nothing but enormous paintings from his "I'm totally on acid" phase.  It was two walls filled with 6'x10' heavy metal album covers.

We had a really good time giving the paintings new titles, like "Weekend in Vegas" and "Why doesn't he call?"

Friday evening a bunch of us gals met for dinner and drinks and then headed to the movies to see He's just not that into You.

As with Sex and the City last year, the theater was completely packed with groups of women.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the movie thoroughly.  When the show was over, we were gathered near the exit, discussing the movie and Lucia said "Look!  Every group is doing the same thing!"  I looked over my shoulder and sure enough, the lobby was full of knots of women of all ages, animatedly picking apart the movie.

Saturday we had a basketball game at 3:00.  The Mavericks won by about a million and then I had to drop Josie off at a school function downtown.  Then I headed back to the Basilica where Zack, Jay and I were joined by Jay's brother Steve, for mass.  After church, I had about an hour and a half til Josie would be done so instead of going home, only to have to return downtown, we all decided to go out for dinner.

Kazmarcek's.  Yummmmmmm.

Josie's function ended a little bit earlier than we thought it would, but I still had plenty of time to gorge myself on sausage and sauerkraut.  After dinner, the men all headed off to more basketball and I picked up Josie and we went home to watch Friends.  We're up to season 6.

Sunday Josie went to Mass with her grandparents, since the rest of us had already gone.  They all went out for brunch after, so everyone was happy.  MJ and Kent dropped Annie here with us while they went out for brunch, too.  A good time was had by all. 

Jay threw some ribs in the oven and made his new favorite; potato dumplings.   Steve, who's wife is out of town, came over for dinner.  We were joined by the lovely Mr. Curry for a casual Sunday dinner.  We drank a lot of wine.

Now I'm exhausted but MJ came by this afternoon and gave me a haircut.  I'll have tons more energy now that I don't have to wrestle with my hair every day.  Or lug it around.

Josie just had her last regular season basketball game this evening.  Our team won, 41-12.  I don't know what the tournament schedule is.  We'll find out this week, I guess.

It's been warm since Saturday, about 40.  The ice rink across the street is  a swamp.  What really sucks is that this was the last week for outdoor skating; the rinks close down in mid February, as by then the sun is too high in the sky to keep the ice good, even if the temps are normal.  So, next week we'll most likely have to shiver through sub zero temps again, but no skating.

On the other hand, spring's coming!  I can practically see it from here!