Okay, so it wasn't a totally perfect weekend.

I’m not exactly sure where to start this post. At the beginning seems to make the most sense, so I’ll go with that for now.

Yesterday — Saturday — was our wedding anniversary. Since we were planning on a late lunch at Royal China (maybe around two-ish) Sam decided to spend the morning assembling the new wicker storage box we bought for our patio. Apparently his power of concentration wasn’t exactly up to snuff, because he put it together BACKWARDS and then wrenched his back and shoulder trying to pull the panels apart and start over. Sam looked generally miserable afterwards and required a doughnut, a hot shower and two Motrin to recover.

We were still excited about Royal China, however. We left the house at 2 p.m., the drive was pleasant and uneventful, and we even snagged the world’s best parking spot right outside the front door. Unfortunately, a handwritten note on the glass explained why — “SORRY, ROYAL CHINA IS CLOSED TODAY FOR LUNCH.” This is a restaurant that’s been open 12 hours a day, seven days a week, for 30 years — and the one stinking day we decide to go for lunch, THEY’RE CLOSED.

We sit on a bench to review our options. Sam suggests we shift gears and get Mexican. I tell him not on your life, sweetheart, IT HAS TO BE CHINESE.

So we drive another 40 minutes to a hard-core Chinatown neighborhood on Greenville Avenue in Richardson — an enormous Chinese strip mall with two dozen restaurants and martial arts academies guarded by a pair of 40-foot granite foo dogs. By now Sam is STARVING so we grab a parking spot and lunge into the first available door. Please note, this is NOT the most intelligent way to select a restaurant. The waitresses spoke no English whatsoever and the two most appealing entrees on the menu were Savory Pig Stomach and Edible Bullfrog with Walnuts.

Today was a little better. We went for a very nice drive, had very nice Mexican food at El Nogalito in Terrell and then watched the Dallas Cowboys screw up against the New York Jets. The best part of the game, which was played on the Jets’ home turf, was the 9/11 tribute at the beginning when a few billion New York City cops and firefighters unrolled the largest American flag on earth. I think it was even bigger than the Ford dealer’s across the street from Mesquite North High School, but I could be wrong.

And now, here are some exciting events planned for the week ahead. I have to drop off a prescription, reschedule the kidney sonogram I canceled last week and find an endodontist for Sam because he needs a root canal. Actually, if I try real hard I can probably finish everything by 10 a.m. Monday morning, giving me the rest of the week to write Howdygram posts, enjoy the new season of “People’s Court” and watch a bunch of terrific old movies.

Thanks for stopping by!