Rockin' Thai Salad

I took Kick-Ass Potato Salad to Rebecca's the last time she had a party at her house, and it now appears that I cannot bring a dish without it having a suitable, preferably flattering, title. I arrived with a bowl full of spicy noodles; I left with the scanty leftovers of a much enjoyed Rockin' Thai Salad.

Here you can see Allie, on the left, digging in, while Carolyn (the new first year grad), Rebecca, and Lynn (a many-year grad, who last year taught the Lourdes class I'm teaching this semester) look on. Carolyn's husband Tom is in the background.

I really did take some great shots, but unfortun- ately Mr. CardCam doesn't seem to have recorded them all. Here is the only other shot I got of the gathering, Andrew's adorable soon-to-be-three-year-old, Leanne. It's Andrew's knee in the right corner... and I think those are Rebecca's legs.

After the sun went down, Rebecca started a bonfire fueled by old exams she'd cleaned out of her files, and I roasted two marshmallows. At about 10, Lynn, Carolyn, Tom and I cleared out, leaving Ruthy, Rebecca, and Allie to presumably burn through the rest of the papers and the wine on the table.

THIS is what I had waiting for me at home. Yesterday it was on my right kitchen window, driving me crazy with its chirping; today it seems to have traversed the space behind my cupboards to drive me crazy from even closer to my computer. Lacking both Ellen's landlady's desire to exterminate and Ellen's own critter catching skills, I may just have to outlast the thing.