Another Friday Night

 So all throughout the plague, I've been participating in two separate Friday night Zoom rituals. First, at 6, Dana and Eric host a shabbat session, including their extended families, where the prayers are said, babies shown off, and news caught up upon. I sip my first drink of the weekend and hear the latest about new kitchens in Boca and New Jersey, where the best challahs were made or bought, and happy chisme about the group of folks, most originally from South Florida and now in New Jersey and Atlanta.

The best part is seeing the new grandkids -- Eric and Dana's daughter and son have a baby girl and boy -- and watching Dana's father Ron beam over his great grandchildren. That Zoom ends at 6:40.

At 7, I become host, and the drinking gets more serious. Over the course of the pandemic, Norman has made a few guest appearances, as has Kenny, particularly when he and Joelle were in Maine and we looked longingly on the beautiful lake and asked about the cooler temperatures.

But the core is Eric and Dana, who have their dinner with us, Barry and Donna, and Josh -- as well as Scott, who joins when other D.C. events don't pull him away. Wifey attends off camera, except when she saunters over to say hello.

I guess these things are, fortunately, heading to obsolescence, as the Plague lifts and we get back to more normal human interaction. Last Friday I missed the sessions, as our Full Squad was at Christy's having an actual, in person dinner.

Still -- we did it last night, and our houseguests Jonathan and D2 said hello -- pregaming before leaving for a friends' get together. After they left, it was just Barry, Donna, Josh, Wifey and me -- and it was more of a preview for tonight -- we're tailgating and going to see the Canes lose to NC State.

Wifey hasn't been to a game in years. She only goes to night games -- the day ones are too sweltering for her. Norman is dropping by at 5, and out uni racial Mod Squad will drive up to Joe Robbie. I have zero doubt Mike and his crew will be there earlier -- probably with Mike's Margaritaville frozen drink machine whirring in full force, powered by the generator he brings.

Eric and Dana haven't been to a game yet this year -- their family's Covid fears remain in full force, and as Josh and I were saying -- we respect that, of course.

But the science and trends seem to say it's ok to poke our heads out of the Covid holes -- especially those of us TRIPLE vaxxed. Things are starting to feel more normal -- it's much more likely some idiot driver on the Palmetto or Turnpike will kill us on the way to the game than we die from the Plague.

So for now, the Friday Zooms continue, though in truth, I look most forward to their end. That'll mean people are all physically together again . Hopefully D2 and Jonathan's townhouse in the Grove gets completed. As nice as it's been to have us -- they of course want to move on with their lives.

After a squabble recently about an unflushed toilet, D2 shook her head and said "Yeah -- we realy gotta get out of here." She's right.

So here's to a good tailgate tonight. I have zero confidence the Canes will win, and that's ok. Maybe if they're blown out early, we'll retire to Kon Chau for some dim sum, like we did last game we all attended.

Either way -- nice to be together again -- and in person.