Yesterday evening, Maria and I attended the house-warming party given by our son, Bryan, and his roommates. Last weekend, they moved from a small apartment to a rental house with a medium-distance view of the ocean not far from Cabrillo College. Dinner was accompanied by a lengthy fireworks show clearly visible above the beach. Lights in the sky courtesy of a local fund-raiser.

Kate's parents now have two foreign exchange students living with them. We met Noellia from Argentina, who stayed with Tom and Nanette previously. She recently received her medical degree and will start her internship in Argentina. We also met Ricky, who is from Mexico.

Tom tried to convince me that I could make beer without poisoning anyone. His recent second-place awards for two different beers entered in local contests were well-deserved. However, my talents are more closely aligned with the consumption phase of the malt beverage lifecycle than with the production phase.

Happy Birthday, Oka.

Yesterday afternoon, Maria and I joined Dave Trowbridge, Deborah J. Ross, Rose Wheeler, Oka the German Shepard, and their family friends to celebrate Oka's 4th birthday. I have read much speculative fiction over the years, so being invited to the home of two science fiction writers was rather intimidating. Add to this the embarrassment of not being familiar with their work. Neither of them asked, so I dodged a bullet this time. Sadly, I'm lucky to find time for the monthly copy of Analog these day... and the last 2 issues are still unread. Not a good sign.

Special thanks to Rose for making us feel comfortable upon arrival. Maria thrives in social settings, but I do not. While Dave and Deborah finished last-minute preparations, Rose introduced us to Oka and the four cats. Could not have been interesting for her, but was a helpful transition for me. Thank you, Rose.

Chris Finnie (Chris Finnie Copywriting), a woman enthusiastic about her craft, graciously allowed us to monopolize her time. Chris catered Dave and Deborah's wedding last year and planned to cook Chinese for her own dinner gathering later in the evening. We also met the Weidners (Random Jottings), who discussed their trip to Mojave for the Space Ship One launch.

Deborah revealed exciting news about her writing that not even her close friends had heard and everyone offered congratulations. Public details, if any, will have to come from Dave or Deborah.

I did not realize that Oka's birthday BBQ was planned as dinner instead of lunch. Maria and I had to depart early for the open house hosted by our son and his roommates. Thanks to Dave, Deborah, and Rose for the fun afternoon.

Happy Birthday, Oka.