  It's been another lovely day in the neighborhood, so far anyway. Today at lunch, I went to a Japanese bookstore/gift shop in Rockefeller Center with a friend. She's half Japanese & her American father teaches Japanese at a school in Florida. So for Father's Day - which is this Sunday - she got him a few things for his desk at the school. The store was really cool, but I didn't know what half the stuff was since neither of us speak Japanese nor read it for that matter.
If we couldn't figure out what it was by looking at it and turning it over and over in our hands, then back on the shelf it went! Chris the Great checked in Jessica Simpson & her sister, Ashley, today at work. He said that Jessica is a stuck-up snob but everyone else was really nice. Which brings me to my next announcement: The season premiere of SIMPLE LIFE 2 will air tonight on FOX at 8 pm EST. I must admit that I watched it last season simply to see how they fared in the middle of nowhere, but I'm afraid this season will be too commercialized after the success of last season. I guess I'll have to wait & see! In other TV show news, Chris & I have been watching HBO's Deadwood.
The first season just ended and it was way better than I thought it would be. I'm afraid I'm hooked and now I'm upset that I have to wait until this fall to see a new episode. But have no fear - I will not have to go that long before seeing a (repeat) episode. We subscribed to HBO & Cinemax-on-Demand and we can now watch any show on those stations that has already run this season. I can go back and watch all episodes of Deadwood back-to-back if I feel like it or I can watch soft porn until my heart's content, which is what we did last night!
Our company's Summer Outing is coming up the 2nd Monday in August. Every year, they rent out the country club & people have the following options: golf, tennis, swimming, softball, volleyball, or just laying out by the pool. And then there's the open bar for the entire day! Here's a general rundown of how the day goes: catch the bus from the office at 10 am get to the club around 11:30 am eat brunch & drink mimosas activity (or inactivity) of your choice freshen up at around 5 pm cocktail hour at 5:30 pm dinner is served around 6 or 6:30 pm catch the bus back to the city around 7:30 pm All in all, I think it's a lot of fun.
Unfortunately, last year it rained most of the day & people were kind of stuck inside. This year, the Summer Outing will be my first day back in the office after our trip to Italy. Nothing like a nice day of lounging around and drinking to get you back in the grind. 
