Wednesday, August 06, 2008

The Here & the Now, Part II: BBQ @ the Chungs

The BBQ was another great gathering of friends from all walks of my and Sarah's life. At one point the Lister elementary gang took a group shot for the first time ever- something we couldn't do back in 4th grade. We had a great time rehashing old memories and catching up and honestly I don't remember what else because that shot plus all that wine did me in. Yep, drove me right up the walls. Felix the guitar made an appearance, and I found myself singing my own version of "Sexy Candy", involving Skittles, Snickers, and Swedish Fish. Is that even a real song? Eh, now it is! The baklava turned out really well and it was surprisingly easy to make. All you need really is crushed nuts, butter, and phyllo ("leaf") dough, named so because of its paper-thin layers. When you bake it, the layers become as thin and crisp as autumn leaves. That mention of the Greek word phyllo calls for a huge tangent, but I'll refrain for now.

Later, when night fell and people were gathering around the burning BBQ grill and rubbing their hands together to keep warm, we moved the party indoors into the living room- the only room that was decorated for the party in accordance with the Arabian Nights party theme. It was very minimalist decoration (due to lack of money, lack of time, not because I wanted to make an artistic statement): gold fabric over the windows, red tulle hanging from the ceiling, tea lights set up in nooks and crannies and window ledges and mantle, and red and gold mardi gras beads placed in cheap glass jars and vases to resemble an Aladdin's Cave type thing. Oh and quotes from "Arabian Nights" posted on the walls on computer paper. It wasn't much, but when we all moved in and it was dark and Will helped me light up the rest of the candles, the effect was really beautiful- at least in my drunken mind. Hurray for alternative states of mind.

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