So, on Saturday, I headed out to Downtown Disney to meet up with beatnikside and channelinglucy. We parked ourselves at a big, round, outdoor bar with good drinks and food, and even better company. Lucy was holding up remarkably well despite knee pain, and I felt comfortable with her right away. After some yapping, eating, and drinking, we said a temporary goodbye to her as she disappeared back into her natural element. Beatnik and I then spent some time poking our heads into shops and people-watching: there were people in Santa hats and big, plastic beards. There was a group of young women who had decided to shiver in the service of sexiness. There were people whose annoyance with their families was obviously not lessened by the fact that they had all come to have a good time, damnit. There was the always-creepy sight of children on leashes held by their parents. I felt like a mediocre consumer because I wasn't carrying a bag, but I was fine with that.

We later met up with an old friend of beatnik's, who told us great stories about Bad Actors in commercials for pilots—"Prepaaare for VIC-toryyy!"—and the three of us hooked up with Lucy once again to indulge ourselves in yet another dessert and caffeinated beverages with yummy stuff mixed in. "I'd like some more Irish in my coffee, please!" Lucy and I, obviously over-caffeinated, made a late night of it. The Pringles helped.

The next day, we met up for lunch. During the course of our conversation, I was sorely tempted to jump into the theme park fray with Lucy and family, but I decided to leave that for another time, when I could actually get up early and spend more time taking it all in. Instead, I contented myself with more shopping and with the sight of kids doing things like spinning around and around just for fun.

After saying goodbye to Lucy and then to beatnik, I spun my own way home and treated myself to a nap. It was the best way to end a lovely weekend.