Another first for me, Saturday morning we went to the Lilac Festival Parade. The Lilac Festival is Rochester's first big outdoor festival of the year, you can't guarantee shorts and tee shirt weather, but you can be pretty sure the snow will be gone. The first Saturday morning of the Festival, they have a parade, and newspaper_girl was in it (as was another classmate of eleven year old), so we managed to make it, only missing the first few entrants, and bringing Porsche_girl.

The parade was more family friendly and lower key than the Saint Patrick's Day parade. For the Saint Patrick's Day parade most of the entrants were either Fire Companies, Police, Marching Bands, Irish Step Dancers, or patrons of Irish pubs. The Lilac Parade spread a bigger tent, in addition to marching bands and fire trucks, we had New York's less controversial Senator, Old Ladies with Red Hats, Mothers of Twins, Shriners, and my favorite, the local branch of the 501st Imperial Legion, Garrison Excelsior. Star Wars re-enactors, in a parade, what could be cooler than that?

My daughters brought me back to earth, eleven old asked who the tall furry one was. Why have I failed them!

After the parade, we ran into a few other school parents, while New York's less controversial senator walked and talked just a few feet away. I also found it odd that the parade watchers were about 90% white, in a city that's only half white. A bunch of the spectators were probably from the burbs.

Walking back to the minivan (we had parked on the side streets on our side of the park) we told the girls we were going to check out a garage sale or two, they weren't sure, but they ended up being very glad. The first one we found had a bucketful of Vera Bradley purses, which are the in thing with the elementary school girls. New ones, ones with tags still on, previously enjoyed ones, all sorts! All three girls got one, and we had to tell Porsche-mom later in the day so she could get in on the action.

We had planned to go into Buffalo later on Saturday to see Mrs. Ha's mom, but that fell through, she decided to go Monday. The biggest reason was that eleven year old had an overnight school trip from Monday to Wednesday, and needed clothes. We ended up in shopping purgatory for the rest of Saturday, trying to find outfits for eleven year old (She's very, very finicky about her clothing).

Speaking of Mother's Day, our gift to Mrs. Ha was upgrading our Y membership to a full fledged Passport membership, we can go to any Y in the county. This helps Mrs. Ha as her favorite instructor teaches a class here, there, everywhere. It was cheaper than another membership to a different club.

Sunday ended up being a late night as we got eleven year old packed, and I got up early to get her to the school (I had to make two trips, she forgot to hand in her prescription permission slips).

When we picked her up on Wednesday night, they looked like zombies, apparently they didn't get much sleep. They did have fun, and eleven year old got upset when her tentmates did not respect out tent.

In media news, while doing the weekly DVD swap, I came across a reviewer's copy of  Shadows over Innsmouth, a compilation of British horror writers working within the storyline of Lovecraft's Shadows over Innsmouth (also included). I have mixed feelings about the book, I'm not a big horror fan, but I do like Lovecraft, creaky atrocious prose and all. Stories based on his mythos were okay for reading once (though Gaiman's story is worth reading twice), but the book isn't a keeper. Maybe I can get $5 for it on amazon, another big profit.

Tuesday night I had an actual friend over, a real person. A guy from the gaming club came over to play Corps Command: Totennsonntag (the battle of Sidi Rezegh to relieve Tobruk) and drank pints of honey lager homebrew. So many pints I felt bad the next few days, until I figured out I'm suffering from allergies. Tomorrow is the monthly meet, I undecided about attending.

My bike is street legal now (thank you Geico), I just need to check it over, feel decent, and take it out. I have been starting it every other day, just because I can.

Mrs. Ha got let go from the flower shop, it's showing signs of a death spiral, so it wasn't surprising. She starts her new job Monday, for more money and better responsibilities.

In other work news, I'm moving my cube in a few weeks, in part of the big plan or reorganizing people into common areas, though my group may never get put into common areas. I have lots of output to throw out, cases worth, half to the recycling bin, half to the burn box, plus lots of cards and cables to do something with.