just suck it down

i don't know what my problem is, but i'm completely incapable of making a decent cup of coffee. i feel like it might be a water to grounds ratio, but i can't figure out if more should be less or if less should be more. instead, i'm sitting here with yet another cup of crappy coffee.

yesterday we went to my parents for lunch and then headed to eric and emily's for some poker. first things first- i can tell that the courting process is nearly complete, and my father is head over heels for chris. it's in the little things, the way he not only shakes chris' hand but touches his shoulder as if to move in for a hug. the way he says that my cousin needs a guy like chris, a guy that is inherently good. they bond over cigars and alcohol and small jokes, and i can tell that the italian stereotype that is my father has fully accepted the son-in-law into the family. and it makes me so happy i could float.

while we were there, though, we watched "monster" with charlize theoron (?) and christina ricci. as a warning to others, it is not exactly a "family" movie and can make for some pretty uncomfortable silences. then again, i've always been one to embarrass easily over what's on the telly in front of my father. kissing? swearing? violence? an exposed boob here or there? no good. i like to keep our shared tv experiences squeaky clean.

we moved on to the poker party after "monster," managing to turn a half hour drive into a 90 minute drive. i can now say i've been to kendall county. the tumbleweed nearly got caught in our tires.

i just about broke even at poker. i won a few big hands, and i would have walked away a bigger winner if i hadn't been goaded into betting nearly $35 in my final hand. i had an ace and a queen, and there was an ace and a queen on the table. there was no way ocean could have had a straight or a flush, and i thought he probably had another ace, but,hey, i also had a queen. what i did not count on was that he had pocket aces. blasted! anyhow, overall, i am getting pretty good at this poker stuff, and i think a trip to vegas will shortly be in order. it's been a while since i've had a two dollar steak.