Appetizers

I feel a remote sense of urgency in paying due respect to the St. Louis Cardinals as they near post-season play with a magic number of only 6. I'm also trying to get the taste of football out of my mouth, seeing as it was on in our apartment the entire weekend, college and pro. I'm not of serious sports origin but you can't live in St. Louis and not fall in love with baseball, particularly Cardinals baseball. It's by all means a fever. And there are particularly favorable conditions for Cardinals fans this year, what with this being old Busch's last season and now months away from the demo (implosion!) thereof. Anyway, when asked if I will always love the Cardinals, I explain very innocently to everyone who asks that the Cardinals are like a first kiss that will not be forgotten, but at the same time I'm beginning to believe I will always be a fan. I definitely have not shifted alliances here in Braves country.*Saturday the B's came over around 1.30. AB and I had pure intentions of spending a mere 2 hours at the pool while MB and Craig spent their afternoons roped into college fb, but AB and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves to the point of not returning to the apartment until like 6.00. I called Craig at one point and he goes, You do realize it's 4.30, don't you? AB wondered if that was a cry for help, if he wanted us to come back to the apartment so he and MB weren't alone with only beer and tv as entertainment any further. (I don't understand! We made them plenty of bite-type foods to keep them fed, as well! Little dogs in blankets, cheesy meaty football mess dip, as AB put it, spinach-artichoke dip, etc.) AB and I were knocking back our share of beers poolside and laughing at the gentleman in the wee-sized white trunks. They were actual trunks but more like the short shorts teenage females purchase at Abercrombie. I told AB that it was obvious he must have gotten those trunks in France. You know, without having been, I am under the conditioned impression that the French are more daring in skin exposure. Well, we would be 100% wrapped in a serious conversation about relationships and marriage and celebrity hunks and what have you...French trunks would walk by, and she would throw her face into her towel to prevent him from spying the guilty pleasure she was taking in watching him walk by. Too funny. In our last half hour at the pool there were two over-30 gentlemen doing this running/leaping thing into the pool to catch a thrown football. Like, guy #1 would get out, rear back, run in the general direction of the water, and attempt some fancy whoosh of his body into the pool while reaching for the ball thrown by guy #2. Then they would switch spots. At one point one of the men spotted AB watching and gave her a toothful grin. After all this, AB and I drove to a liquor store in Vinings. We had checked in on the boys and alas, they were fine. So I was explaining on our way to the store that the cashier was really cute, that I had only been there one time but had noted how cute the counter guy was. We walked up and AB noticed a giant ceramic bird (turkey? AB said it might be a "quail," which made me laugh all the more) sitting in the front of the store. She commented that this was just asking to be stolen. Its size would require at least two people to hoist it into the back of a car. We went inside, wandered somewhat directionless in search for Miller Lite, found it, then approached the counter where cute boy was indeed working. AB went ahead and let him know that that bird needed to be stolen by someone, and he responded that he saw the Mustang (my car that we had driven...no chance in us stealing the bird after telling him we might.) AB or I, I cannot remember which of us, dropped a big fat Napoleon "gosh" and the counter guy said, "idiot! you ruined my life! gosh!" and AB and I were delighted that he recognized the pop reference. She also pointed out accurately that this guy resembles Orlando Bloom. It isn't often that a gentleman behind the counter at a liquor ("package," as they call them in Atlanta) store resembles a celebrity hunk, particularly one as sword-wielding as Orlando Bloom, but when it happens, take notice and drag your girlfriends to see for themselves.*One of my favorite days in St. Louis was the afternoon game in July 2004 versus the Cubs where RL (aforementioned crazy Asian friend) and his wife and I had purchased 25 tickets for family and friends to come join us. It was a fabulous chance for us to get a lot of people together. My parents came and got to meet a lot of my friends they haven't met before. My dad, Chicago-native, was the sole soul adorning his Cubs' gear while the rest of us cheered the Cards to victory. Actually, I think RL had some buddies wearing Cubbies stuff. St. Louis is brilliant, I miss it. It's my small city.