Sunday evening, Misti came home from work and we headed down to Tahoe Joe's for dinner! It was raining and dark outside, but the inside of my car was filled with laughter as we listened to the Lewis Black album. (That guy seriously cracks me up.)

When we arrived at the restaurant, the rain was coming down pretty hard. We all got out of the car, planning to walk quickly to the restaurant, when my crazy car decided to lock Steve inside! I couldn't figure out why the door wouldn't open, from the inside or the outside, so Steve just had to crawl out the other door. We met up with Misti inside, who had managed to escape most of the rain and told her about my car's weird mood. The whole thing was pretty funny at the time!

Tahoe Joe's was incredible, as usual. I love their food! Joe and I miss it sometimes down in L.A. We actually went to dinner there for our one year wedding anniversary, so it's always nice memories at Tahoe Joe's.

When we got back to Misti and Steve's place, Misti said she had enough wax for both our ears, if we wanted them waxed. I first imagined waxing hair off the outside of our ears and was thinking, "Do we really need that?" Then I remembered she'd told me about this before, about pulling the wax out of ears using a beeswax thingy (that is the technical term).

For the uninitiated, here's how it works: a gauze tube covered in beeswax goes in your ear and is lit on fire at the top. The heat goes down the tube and creates a vacuum, melting your earwax and pulling it out of your ear and up into the tube. (P.S. Misti is a certified esthetician - don't try this at home!)

It is bizarre and pretty freaking cool to have a burning tube in your ear! I could hear the tiny crackling sounds of the fire through the tube, and could see the glow of the fire through the paper plate out of the corner of my eye. It made my hand and face feel warm and nice. It was pretty relaxing. Afterwards, Misti cut open the tubes and we all had a nice look at my ear wax. Fascinating stuff!

We ended the night by watching Stepford Wives, which was pretty funny and entertaining (despite one weird WTF moment). I enjoyed it, and I do recommend it if you're looking for a laugh.

The next morning, I met up with Bobbi and Loki. I hadn't seen them in months and months. It was so cool catching up with them, and snuggling my Loki dog again! He's doing great - his allergies have improved now that he's on some herbal supplements, and his joints are no longer swollen. And he's got the same bright happy spirit and great big smile he's always had! I love that dog!

Bobbi, Loki and I had a little picnic of Greek food and a short walk before it was time to say good-bye once again. Even though our visit was quite short, it was also super wonderful, and I look forward to seeing them again soon.

When I got back, Misti, Steve and I checked out a local park that none of us had ever been to before. It was small and near some busy roads, which made it not as relaxing and nice as we hoped it might be. We soon headed out to the resevoir instead. That was much more fun and relaxing, much more removed from the hustle and bustle of traffic and suburban life. Spring in California is so nice, because the desert brush is all so vibrantly green, and flowers are blooming all over the place. We also saw a very tall bird walking in the grass, and some turkey vultures flying pretty close overhead. It was so beautiful! The three mile walk left me with that wonderful, tired feeling I get after some nice exercise, slightly achey and very happy.

As I was stretching on the floor of Misti's livingroom, Melissa arrived! It was so great to see her! Lots of silliness and laughing ensued that evening as we sat around telling stories, speculating on reality t.v. shows, and having dinner at yummy Applebee's. After dinner, we went to Misti's workplace since some of us were seeking caffeine and Misti gets a sweet discount. The guy behind the counter was jokey and funny, which only encouraged us in our silly, giggly moods. Misti's friend, Alissa, was working that night, so Melissa and I got to meet her for the first time, too. Schedules didn't work out in a way that we got to hang out and stuff, but that's okay. It was cool just to get to say hi.

We hung out for a few more hours at Misti's place until it was time to say good-bye to Melissa (good-byes are the least fun part of any trip). Then Misti and I stayed up for several more hours, just chatting away like we always tend to do. Eventually, we headed to bed, and I fell asleep feeling absolutely gleeful and grateful for the awesome friends I have.

The next day, Misti and Steve treated me to a wonderful lunch at an Indian restaurant. It was a buffet and I enjoyed several awesome dishes including butter chicken and eggplant masala. Dessert was kheer, a dish of sweet rice in coconut milk, which was super delicious. I loved the interesting mix of flavors and the nice, nourished feeling I had as we left. Saying good-bye to Misti and Steve was a little sad, but I know I'll see them again soon. I had the greatest time with them!

The drive home was fine, just... long! It took me exactly six hours and ten minutes to get home, including one short stop for gas. I entertained myself by watching the rain, listening to comedy albums (Patton Oswalt this time), and talking on the phone a bit to Joe and my mom. Coming home to the apartment and the kitties was really nice, and once Joe got home from work, everything was perfect.

All in all, I have to say, Meg Tour 2005 (aka the Whirlwind Friend-Visiting Extravaganza) was a complete and total success! It's probably due to the fact that I have the coolest friends ever. Thanks for making my trip so much fun, everyone! I love you guys and will see you again soon!!