Her favorite

Chili calamari crunch



Eggrolls

Garlic noodles with shaken beef
This was supposed to be the post on Friday and then when I slacked off, the post on Saturday. (It was all about the photos.) Never mind. Now you have it.

My stepmother used to say that I was a spoiled brat. I learned from the best -- my father's younger sister.

Last year she pointed out to my dad that she had not had a party for her sixtieth birthday. (She was too sick from chemo at the time to party.) So my dad told his baby sister to plan her party and he would pick up the tab.

My aunt ended up renting out Vo's for an evening. There were at least 80 folks there. And when the cake was served, we all took turns saying what we loved about her. Looking back a year later, I realize that she made it possible to be present at her own wake. So many signs that I missed along the way. Because as soon as she died, it all suddenly made sense. (And yeah, I'm pretty angry these days. Why couldn't she just be straight with me?)

I've known for several months that my company would be moving -- to a location that is about a ten minute drive to my aunt's house. My aunt and I discussed it all during the days before her death. I thought that we would move and it would be easier to spend more time with her. By the time it finally happened though, she was gone.

And that's yet another facet that I don't think that they get at work. I know our new area well because of my aunt. She lived there since the mid-70s. (Of course one of the project managers gave me a hug last Monday after he heard about my Thanksgiving.)

So Thursday for lunch, I called in an order to Vo's -- one of her favorites. I had enough food for lunch and dinner. Good thing since I haven't cooked in weeks.

And then it hit me. I had gotten angry in August because I had wanted my friends to go out once a month, like my aunt had suggested that we do. But going to her favorite restaurants? This is something that I can do completely alone and so not have to worry about getting pissed off with friends. And that Christmas dinner she cooked last year? The first time she cooked in about 10 years. She ate out most nights. And that means that I have so many possibilities waiting for me out there -- some of which I've never sampled.

And hopefully there will be no more photos taken with my phone after this point as I have now received my new batteries.