And Mommy and Daddy make Three (sometimes four)!

So where did I leave off.  Oh yes...the cramps.

Initially they weren't too painful, just really, really inconvenient.  Meaning I had to strategically plan my day around available restrooms, and pop immodium like mints.  After all, my parents were visiting, which meant they would meet the Professor (later! I really super special awesome promise to get into that later).  And so help me, I was not passing up the opportunity to have my boyfriend meet my parents in an official capacity.  I could have been passing a kidney stone, hunted by the CIA, and sent to an alternate dimension where the only way to return home would have meant chopping off my pinky toes, and I would've still managed to get my parents and him to meet.

And it went great!  The Professor was of course as sweet as peaches as always, I was able to finally pay for my parent's dinner (this way my parents and I are soooooort of even for the 18 years they fed and sheltered me), later we had coffee and desert at Dulce Vita, and really I couldn't have asked for much more from the evening.  My parents both said they really liked the Professor, and barring the fact that I know they lied to me when I was younger (Santa and the Easter Bunny, anyone?) I'm pretty certain they were being honest.  If you knew my mother, you would understand that she has no qualms about saying how she feels about someone, something I've always admired of her.

Then the next afternoon (minus the Professor) my parents and I went to Museum, which was kinda meh, and an alright sushi place.  Honestly, because my stomach was acting up I think I may have judged the restaurant too harshly but seriously, I shouldn't have to nearly choke on the rice while trying to swallow my fish.   That place's real saving grace was that my parents seemed to enjoy the seaweed salad.  I always love to see my parent's try different food, and admittedly, they have become more adventurous as I've gotten older, but that they liked the seaweed thing was a very pleasant surprise.

And then the highlight of the evening: we made the trip down to a comedy/musical revue/magic show called Esther's Follies.  Now, I had read some good reviews of this place, saying it was a fun time, and definitely something you should do if you are visiting Austin.  But they really are just so not anything close to explaining the real thing.

This group is HI-larious.  How funny was it?  Well, my mother laughed till she teared up, my Dad laughed till he was out of breath, and I know I was sliding down my chair and stomping my foot it was just SO FUNNY.  If you ever get the chance you have got to see this show.  The comedy was current and universal, some of the music numbers were just great.  But the real gem- and any review will echo this- is the magic.  You are so close to the stage that you just have no clue how they could be pulling this off, but they do it, seamlessly.  And the magician himself is (just like the reviews said) very, very funny.  The combination of the wise cracking magician, the up close magic, and the fact that I'm pretty sure I peed my pants a little laughing so hard, really made this one of the best nights I have had with my parents that I can remember.

The morning that Mom and Dad were set to leave, the Professor and I went to have a morning brunch with them, and to see them off.  I was surprised my Dad wasn't nursing a hangover, because he downed a number of scotches the night before.  So, since he wasn't leaning over the table moaning in agony the brunch was pretty uneventful.  No tears, just a really nice send off.


Next Segment:  The end of the Cramps (Finally!)...