Aarthi's New Anti-Weber Grill

Well, I was a good boy today. After work, I went for a five mile run. Yeah! The only thing that sucked though was that I ended up averaging a 10 minute mile pace. I was slow! I am starting to think that I have a weight problem. And when I got back, I stole a few quick glances in the mirror after stripping naked for the shower. Ugh. I have overflow! Especially in the belly section! So yeah, I think I really need to be serious about my health and running goals. Gotta give up the alcohol and sweets!

Anyway, after the run around 19:00, Erin and I decided to go get dinner at this Japanese restaurant in Wrigleyville, then hit up some local bars. The plan was to meet her at the Addison station after my shower. Half way down the ride to Addison, I got a call from her telling me that we are going to Aarthi's instead for barbeque and drinks. Sweet!

But when I got to Addison, I waited. And waited. Then Erin called, asking me to get a bag of ice at the 7-Eleven store across the street. Apparently Erin was asked to go grocery shopping! {By the way, I was shocked to learn that she didn't know what cilantro was!!! LOL} With my bag of ice, waiting at the corner, looking all out of place, I noticed this little girl walking up the street with her hands full! Ha ha ha! I guess they gave her a list of food to get!

When we finally got to Aarthi's, I quickly learned that we will be earning our food! First, we had to carry in her new Brinkman's gas grill from the car in the basement. Next, we had to assemble the grill. And then we had to assemble the patio chairs! I started chuckling inside. But it was all good, for I really wanted to check out Aarthi's new dig. And this was no small barbeque dinner for sure. Her sister, Shivani, was in town for the weekend, so the entire gang was there.

Finally, at around 22:00, A-Train, Cliff and I got the grill assembled and the heat cranked up for the very first time! You see, I lived in Kansas City for a number of years before moving here, and I can tell you that grilling was a weekly ritual during the summers. I miss that. A lot! But this time, I got to enjoy the very first grill in Chicago. There were a lot of people I have not met before, so I had to contain my excitement secretly.

When the food was finally grilled and served, it was pure yummy. I had a Bocca veggie burger and two chicken sausages. Hey, at least they are somewhat healthier than red meat. =) I knew I wanted to improve my running from last year, so I chose not to drink any beer. Instead, I had Diet Coke the entire night. Pretty good, right? But then, my sweet tooth caved in. I had a couple Dove ice cream bars and two servings of the pound cake with fresh strawberries and vanilla ice cream! So much for kicking the dessert habit! =) Cela est la vie!

Then somehow, someone mentioned bling. If you know Aarthi at all, you would know that she gets overly excited just as much as me when someone mentions the word "boobs!" Ha ha, I kid! Then we started donning wigs and bling, as Aarthi has a huge collection of it. The worst part about all this? None of us were really that drunk, yet we were acting all foolish! Ah... What a fun-filled night it turned out to be! And of course, Aarthi felt obliged to show her guests pictures from the last impromptu bling party last year. Where not only did I wear wigs, but I also got dressed up in some of Aarthi's dresses! Of course, the link to those pictures will never appear here!

So it all started with a small dinner and drinks with Erin, and it ended up being a huge barbeque dinner party with bling. Nice! Maybe I can defer my sleeping in till the day after never! =)